A couple’s bearded dragon Rafiki has been missing for a month after escaping their home and later being sold between customers at a South Flores tropical fish store.
SAN ANTONIO — A south-side couple says someone out there may unknowingly have their missing family member – a bearded dragon named Rafiki who has been part of their daily life for more than three years.
Ralph and Patricia Leal say Rafiki disappeared Feb. 15 after slipping out of their home on a sunny day while the couple had their doors open to air out the house.
The small reptile – known for enjoying blueberries, sunshine and even watching football is more than just a pet to the couple.
“He was our only little boy,” Patricia Leal said.
The Leals say Rafiki came into their lives about three and a half years ago when family members surprised Ralph with the tiny lizard and a starter kit. At the time, Rafiki was no bigger than Ralph’s pinky finger.
The couple named him Rafiki as part of a family tradition inspired by “The Lion King.” Their grandchildren also have a bearded dragon named Pumba.
But the Leals say Rafiki quickly became more than a pet.
He became part of their daily routine.
Instead of spending most of his time in a tank, Rafiki roamed freely through their bedroom.
“We found out that he didn’t like to be in the tank too long,” Ralph Leal said. “So, he got used to roaming.”
The couple even set up a small rope ladder so, Rafiki could climb onto the windowsill and soak up sunlight on his own.
“He eventually learned how to get some sun on his own,” Ralph said. “So he was Mr. Freedom.”
Much of the couple’s day revolved around Rafiki’s habits.
They often sat outside together, so he could bask in the sunlight.
“Our daily thing was to go outside and get some vitamin D,” Ralph said. “He would sit here for as long as we possibly could.”
“He’d turn like a pancake and just take in all that sunlight,” he added.
Rafiki also had his own bedtime routine.
Every night, Patricia says she would search the house for him and tuck him in under a washcloth.
“Every night I had to look for him and put him to bed, cover him up and tuck him in,” she said.
But about a month ago, that routine changed.
The Leals say they were airing out their home on a beautiful day when they believe Rafiki slipped past a folding table barrier they had placed in their bedroom doorway.
“One of us must have gone in and out and he just darted,” Ralph Leal said.
The couple believes Rafiki may have wandered into the garage before making his way outside.
For several days, the Leals searched and alerted neighbors but had no leads.
Five days later, someone sent them a screenshot of a post on the neighborhood social media app Nextdoor showing a bearded dragon that had been found nearby.
The Leals quickly tracked down the home where the reptile was discovered.
“They told us he popped out of the bushes while they were barbecuing,” Ralph said.
But the couple had arrived too late.
The family who found Rafiki had only kept him for a short time. When no one claimed the reptile, a woman who saw the Nextdoor post offered to take him in. The Leals don’t have the Nextdoor app.
“I was like, ‘Ahhhh. So close,’” Ralph recalled.
When the Leals contacted that woman, they learned Rafiki had already been passed along again.
“She said, ‘Oh my God, you’re two days too late,’” Ralph said.
According to the woman, she sold Rafiki to another customer inside Papa Jim’s Tropical Fish on South Flores Street sometime around Feb. 19 or 20.
“The customer was curious what she had in the box,” Ralph said. “She said, ‘I just acquired this bearded dragon and I’m not too sure if I’m gonna invest in keeping him or what.’ And he said he wanted to have him for his son.”
That is the last confirmed sighting of Rafiki.
“He was alive, the last that we know,” Ralph said. “So that made me feel relief.”
Since then, the Leals say they have been sharing Rafiki’s story across social media and leaving flyers and business cards at the fish store, hoping someone might recognize him.
Rafiki has distinct habits that might stand out to a new owner, they say.
He is a picky eater who prefers foods like blueberries, strawberries and cilantro. The couple often hand-fed him mealworms, and he would only drink water from a small stream instead of a bowl.
“He’s used to a routine,” Ralph said.
The couple worries Rafiki may be struggling if he is kept confined in a tank, since he spent most of his life roaming freely around their home.
They say if someone does have Rafiki, they simply want them to know the lizard may be acting differently because he is no longer in the routine he’s known for years.
“Anybody who acquired a bearded dragon with that story – it has to match,” Ralph said. “That’s what I’m hoping, that the pieces of the puzzle line up.”
Back at home, Rafiki’s space remains untouched.
The Leals say they still hope he might return.
“We don’t feel right taking everything down because we still have hopes that he’ll come home and everything will be the way he left it,” Patricia said.
For now, the couple says they simply want Rafiki back, or at least the reassurance that he is safe.
Anyone with information about Rafiki can contact the Leals at 210-602-9641. A $100 reward is being offered for Rafiki’s safe return.
