The Daytona Beach Police Department this week took an unusual suspect into custody…one of the reptilian variety. A green iguana was retrieved from a local neighborhood after reportedly causing disruptions on Monday.
The large reptile was pointed out to officers near a home by a local resident. “That’s a big boy!” the officer can be heard saying. From there iguana launched a daring escape attempt, but was apprehended as it tried to wiggle through a wooden gate.
According to the DBPD, the iguana is being ‘charged’ with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, trespassing, and fleeing. Though it won’t soon be listed in the Volusia County Branch Jail’s inmate registry, this scaly green assailant is one of the more cold-blooded criminals recently apprehended.
Make no mistake: in actuality, the iguana was far from the average innocent wildlife sighting. Their species is invasive to Florida, having been introduced from South and Central America. They’re believed to have first appeared in the Sunshine State after hitching rides on cargo ships from Cuba in the 1960s, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History.
Since they took hold in Florida, green iguanas have been considered one of the more well-known and harmful of the state’s invasive animal species. The lizards are thought to have a detrimental effect on native ecosystems, and can also cause rampant property damage. It is legal to kill the iguanas without restrictions, and those who capture them are also allowed to keep them as pets - just as long as they're not released back into the wild.
