A Man, An Iguana, and A Parrot Walk Into a Café
That’s right, the title says it all.
When you’re uncomfortable around reptiles, it’s far less daunting to be in a house with 40 cats than to sit in a room with just one iguana. I thought I had my animal-related fears under control - until I walked into Urban Forest Café in Kochi to meet Shiyas VP.
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Shiyas, the co-founder of one of the most prominent lush backwater havens in the locale, greeted me warmly with a smile. But soon enough, he brought in his friend Spike, a four-year-old iguana with scales, an glacial yet amiable stare, and a tail that looked like it could double as a whip. Before this interaction, Pascal from the Disney movie Tangled was the closest interaction I had with an Iguana.Even though I found the animated version cute, images of real Iguanas always made me wonder “Why an iguana of all the pets to choose?”
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As someone who loves the candour that comes from meandering conversations, I make it a point to sit close to the subject of my interview. But this was an interview where I found myself sitting ‘an Iguana tail-distance’ away. Even though Shiyas insisted Spike was a peace-loving vegetarian, it took every bit of my resolve to appear unfazed. Yet, somehow, this unlikely trio - Shiyas, Spike the iguana, and Poppy the Pineapple Conure - made this unusual encounter less intimidating.
As someone who loves the candour that comes from meandering conversations, I make it a point to sit close to the subject of my interview. But this was an interview where I found myself sitting ‘an Iguana tail-distance’ away. Even though Shiyas insisted Spike was a peace-loving vegetarian, it took every bit of my resolve to appear unfazed. Yet, somehow, this unlikely trio - Shiyas, Spike the iguana, and Poppy the Pineapple Conure - made this unusual encounter less intimidating.
For Shiyas, 32, exotic pets like Spike have been a passion. As a former IT professional turned café/restaurant owner and entrepreneur, Shiyas has crafted a life as non-traditional as his companions. “I always had a fascination with exotic pets,” he explained, with all the ease of being someone entirely at home with his choice. He went on to share that iguanas, while intimidating to look at, actually require minimal care. “They’re vegetarians, so they aren’t out here threatening anyone,” he chuckled, and I couldn’t help but smile - despite my nerves - as he described Spike’s diet of leafy greens and flowers.
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But Shiyas’s journey to becoming a proud iguana parent wasn’t without its heartbreaks. He recalled his first exotic pet, a hand-feeding Gray Parrot named Kiki, whom he had raised with immense care and love. Kiki passed away unexpectedly, leaving a void that was hard to fill in their lives. His daughter, barely six months old at the time, had started saying her first few words - and “Kiki” was one of them. “Losing Kiki felt like I was losing a family member,” Shiyas reflected, stroking Spike in his lap. In his moments of grief, he almost decided to give up on exotic pets altogether. He did give away his sugar gliders to a friend, while contemplating parting ways with Spike, too. But something made him hesitate. “Two days later, I couldn’t bear the thought. So, Spike stayed.”
Over time, Shiyas has built an unconventional family with Spike, Poppy, and his now-young daughter, who interacts with Spike as easily as most children would a family cat. Shiyas’s wife has been a pillar of support in his journey, even when it meant filling their home with creatures less traditional. That being said, Shiyas explained that their decision to have an iguana was, in part, due to family members’ allergies to fur and how they were so safe that one wouldn’t need injections or remedies if one was to accidentally be scratched by an Iguana. For him, an iguana proved to be the perfect pet - fascinating, unique, and surprisingly friendly, once they have become acclimated.
For him, an iguana proved to be the perfect pet - fascinating, unique, and surprisingly friendly, once they have become acclimated.
Perhaps what’s most captivating about Shiyas’s story is how he’s navigated the common public perception of reptiles as dangerous and difficult. As he described how his neighbourhood’s reaction varied from fascination to mild fear when they spotted Spike in his travel cage, I couldn’t help but relate. “I understand how people think Spike is the ferocious one, from the way he looks,” he said, “but the reality is that it’s the seemingly cute sugar gliders you have to watch out for. They’ll eat scarf down cockroaches and such!” Spike, on the other hand, maintains his strictly herbivorous diet and calm demeanour.
To Shiyas, owning exotic pets is best summed up as being an experience that is “interesting, each and every day.” His routine with Spike and Poppy brings him joy in a way that’s uniquely fulfilling, and the ventures he is part of, Urban Forest Cafe and Swargam Backwaters, reflect this life ethos: a space that’s green, open, and welcoming.
As I left the interview, I found myself surprisingly relaxed, perhaps inching a little closer than I did earlier to Spike. I may never be as comfortable as Shiyas around a reptile, but his thoughts, passionate anecdotes and patience showed me that even the most intimidating creatures can bring peace. Perhaps I might even understand the appeal of Pascal the Iguana as Rapunzel’s pet of choice a little better now.
