Missing 'T. rex' lizard found outside home

A lizard described as "running like a T. rex" who went missing two weeks ago has been found - metres away from where she vanished.

Hundreds of people had been searching for Echo, the 4ft-long (1.2m) Tegu lizard, since she dug her way out of her enclosure in Workington and vanished.

Owner Siobhan Harkness, who runs Pet Encounter Cumbria, said she was baffled it took so long to find Echo.

She told BBC Radio Cumbria that after all that time Echo was found outside the premises' backyard.

False sightings of Echo had hampered the search

She said Echo was found feet away from the backyard even though that area was searched several times.

She said it was possible Echo had travelled further but had eventually found her way home.

"We don't have a clue if she had been there all the time," she said.

"We'd searched that area, we've had thermal cameras and all sorts and she wasn't there.

"We gave her a health check and she doesn't seem to have lost any weight."

A £500 reward had been offered for the return of Echo, but Ms Harkness said the search had been hampered by false sightings prompting volunteers to look several miles away.

'Like a puppy'

Tegu lizards are native to Central and South America, but their temperament often makes them suitable to be kept as pets.

Echo was previously described as being like "like a puppy dog" because she allowed people to stroke her and put her on their laps.

She became famous after Ms Harkness described her as being able to run on her back legs "like a T. rex" dinosaur.

Her owner said now Echo was home, her health would be boosted with mineral supplements and her favourite meal - chicken breasts.

Ms Harkness said Echo looked "fantastic" despite being missing for so long.

"We are so glad she is back home as we've been so heartbroken.

"But she is absolutely grounded from now on," she added.