South Florida iguanas invasion: dirt, destruction and broken wires

South Florida, of course, not quite the Jurassic Park, but more and more like it. Groups of green iguanas occupy breakwaters, run around the courtyards, leaving destruction and dirt in their path. The hot summer sun increased the activity of cold-blooded creatures, which, according to experts, was almost a record this year, writes NY Daily News.

Фото: Depositphotos

Thomas Portuallo, company owner Iguana control of Fort Lauderdale, says, “I’ve probably seen the most iguanas this year, and I’ve been in business for nine years.”

An expert said "hundreds of thousands" of lizards are out of control and spreading across Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties. Iguana populations are multiplying like rabbits and systematically leaving residents without internet, phone service, even power, causing damage to landscaping, seawalls and breakwaters, roofs, patios, and contaminating swimming pools with excrement.

“There is no real way to properly estimate the number of green iguanas in Florida. The numbers could be gigantic, says Richard Engeman, a biologist at the National Wildlife Research Center. “You can add as many zeros to a number as you like and I will believe it.”

Richard Beltran, Representative Florida Power and Light, reports that about 9 power outages in the region each year are caused by animals and birds. In South Florida, iguanas are the second leading cause of power outages after squirrels.

Grace DeVita says that she cannot get rid of iguanas both at home and at work. A few months ago, the telephone and Internet connection at the same time stopped in her office after the iguanas got to the sources of energy and had a snack on the cables.

“There was an iguana with a piece of wire hanging out of its mouth,” DeVita complains.

According to her, two days the power supply was restored, and after another two days everything repeated again.

Such incidents help keep the business of 57-year-old Portwallo afloat, whose fast-growing company helps homeowners and businesses fight off iguanas. Now have Iguana control four offices in South Florida. Portwallo says that homeowners can control predators by regularly examining the yards for signs of their paws, destroying holes that they dug up, and filling them with mud. Iguanas like to eat hibiscus and bougainvillea, so it’s better to plant plants in the yard that the iguana doesn’t pay attention to: crotons, Ixora, oleander.

“Let them know that they are not welcome on your territory,” the specialist advises.

Iguanas can grow up to five feet in length (one and a half meters), they quickly move along the ground and in the water, which makes it difficult to catch such a creature. They have no natural predators. If you live a couple of iguanas, do not worry. But more than ten iguanas will simultaneously multiply exponentially and create a problem. Portwallo says his firm is humanely and legally exterminating iguanas using special air pistols worth about 1000 dollars. A specialist performs one accurate headshot so that the animal does not experience pain. You can legally shoot an iguana in the head with a shotgun, hit it in the head with a knife and even chop off the head, provided that the animal does not suffer.

A University of Florida study concluded that a strong blow to the head, which destroys the iguana's brain, is the most humane method. But drowning, freezing or poisoning iguanas is a criminal offense.

Contrary to popular belief, iguanas excrement is not harmful to cats and dogs. Most often, the iguana harms by attacking and leaving traumatic injuries, including the tail.

Problems with the iguanas in Florida began in the 1960s after reptiles after a series of hurricanes made their way into the civilized world. The cold months keep the population under control, but now South Florida is watching one of the largest invasions since 2009. The biologist believes that it is important for residents to understand the environmental threat posed by iguanas.

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