London, Sept 29 (ANI): When fire fighters were called to rescue an iguana from a 45ft tree, they had never imagined that what they were trying to rescue would eventually turn out to be just a green branch of the tree.

The residents of Cove, near Farnborough, called the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), after they saw a reptile moving among the leaves of the tree.

After the call, the RSPCA, in turn called the fire brigade.

It was only when a fireman scaled the tree on an aerial platform that he came to know that the animal in danger was in fact just a green branch when he was 25ft up in the air.

“The branch bore a striking resemblance to an iguana when seen from the ground, The Telegraph quoted Colin Horwood, animal rescue advisor for Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, as saying.

He added: “I have never seen anything like it. We take all animal rescues seriously but in this case it was a good intent false alarm.”

The residents were sure of sighting the iguana because the RSPCA had rescued another iguana in the same area. the week before.

“Members of the public reported seeing what they thought was an iguana moving several times. Because it was so high up we needed the fire service’’s help to get it. Another iguana had actually been rescued from same area the week before, said RSPCA spokeswoman Jo Barr. (ANI)