ANIMAL welfare officers are investigating after two pet lizards were dumped in the cold on a housing estate and left to die.

The bearded dragons, a species naturally found in the heat of the Australian deserts, were found close to death in Malgraves, Basildon, and rescued by RSPCA officers.

The charity’s Insp Adam Jones rushed the the lizards to a vet’s surgery on Saturday, where they gradually warmed up and began to show signs of life.

The RSPCA is now appealing for information about the people responsible dumping the.

Insp Jones said: “They were dumped on the green in a fully-equipped vivarium, which included a heat lamp.

“It shows the owner knew they needed to be kept warm.

“However, we have been experiencing strong, gusty winds and rain and temperatures below 5C, so they had just been left to die.

“I cannot comprehend someone discarding animals like this.

“It is disgusting to think one minute they were in a warm, comfortable vivarium and the next they were abandoned and exposed to all the elements.”

Both dragons were dark green and brown and about a foot long.

Like all reptiles, bearded dragons rely on a warm environment, as they have no means of keeping warm without external heat. In the wild, they will bask in the sun and move to a cool area if they need to cool down.

Anyone with information about the reptiles can call the RSPCA’s confidential information line on 0300 1238018.