The iguana population in South Florida has gotten so out of control that it's preventing people from working and even enjoying themselves at home, leading some to take the drastic measure of calling in catchers and exterminators. The natural behaviors of these four-legged creatures trying to co-exist with humans have led to issues with internet and phone service, power outages and all sorts of damage done to landscapes, levees, seawalls, roofs, and patios, and even contaminating swimming pools. 'This year is the most iguanas I’ve seen and I’ve been in business for nine years,' Thomas Portuallo, the owner of Fort Lauderdale-based company called Iguana Control, told the Sun-Sentinel. Portuallo said 'many hundreds of thousands' of the reptiles have taken over Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties. The iguana population in South Florida has gotten so large that it's preventing people from working and enjoying themselves at home, leading some to resort to catching and killing them While 'many hundreds of thousands' is a vague estimate, experts say its impossible to tell exactly how many iguanas who have invaded the Sunshine State, but its certainly a high number. 'There’s no real way to come up with a valid estimate of the number of green iguanas in Florida. But the number would be gigantic,' says Richard Engeman, a biologist for the National Wildlife Research Center said. 'You could put any number of zeros behind a number, and I would believe it.' And at such high numbers, the impact is being felt intensely by South Florida residents. In case you're wondering in what kind of ways an iguana can mess up your day, Grace DeVita of Hollywood has a few examples for you. Within the past few month, she got two unexpected days off from the regular grind when an iguana chewed through cables and caused the internet and phone services to go out at her place of employment. 'There was an iguana with a piece of wire hanging out of his mouth,' DeVita said. After the damage was repaired, it happened again, just two days later. This file photo of an iguana basking in the sunshine was taken in Dania, Florida in 2018 She also got an unpleasant surprise when one of these little rascals was found hiding in her toilet. 'In one of my bathrooms, my roommate kept hearing something in his toilet and saw something poking its head out,' she said. That 'something' was an iguana, that she had to pull out after coaxing it to latch on to a plunger. This was a few years, ago, according to DeVita. 'It was very aggressive,' she said. To add to bathroom-related issues, now South Florida iguanas are relieving themselves in neighborhood pools, contaminating them with their feces. But, while that's definitely gross, one animal expert told the Sun-Sentinel it shouldn't hurt the family pet, as it's a myth that iguana feces is poisonous to them. 'Most pet instances are trauma injuries,” Douglas Mader, a Marathon veterinarian who specializes in exotic animal medicine said. 'I have seen a couple dozen dogs come in with injuries from getting bit by iguanas or slashed by their tails.' And while their feces isn't poisonous, per se, it does have a very high likelihood of carrying Salmonella, according to the Green Iguana Society. 'In pet reptiles, the carriage rate is as high as 90 percent,' the society shared on its website. 'In some iguanas, bacteria live in the intestine. These bacteria are shed with the feces and can be picked up by humans. A disease that can spread from animals to humans is called a zoonosis. Thankfully, your iguana can’t give you typhoid fever. That strain of Salmonella is transmitted only from person to person. However, your iguana may carry other forms of Salmonella that could cause you to experience salmonellosis.' Speaking of pet iguanas, they're actually a popular choice to have in the home, when cared for properly. Brian Wood, owner of Iguana Catchers, holds an iguana after he captured it in South Florida 'They're actually very nice to have as pets,' Brian Wood, owner of Iguana Catchers, told NBC News. 'The problem is, is when they get out and start mating, and can lay 60 eggs per female, and that becomes a problem for South Florida.' Much of the damage also stems from the mating, in that iguanas will dig tunnels to create sturdy spaces to keep their offspring safe, which in turn leads to issues for landscapes, but also levees and seawalls. All of these problems for the area date back to 1992, when Hurricane Andrew destroyed pet shops, causing iguanas to be released and the population grew exponentially from there. If you're in South Florida and experiencing an issue with an overgrown iguana population of less than 15 creatures, Wood recommends trapping the creatures with cages and fruit. His choice bait is frozen strawberries placed inside a raccoon trap, like 'the kind you can buy at Home Depot,' with a mechanism triggered to drop the gate as the iguana eats the treat, he said. Frozen strawberries, he said attract the reptiles with their color and taste, and last several days outside in the South Florida heat. 'Then it's up to you what you do with it,' Wood said. If you're in South Florida and experiencing an issue with an overgrown iguana population of less than 15 creatures, Wood recommends trapping the creatures with cages and fruit If you decide to exterminate your catch, you have options if you don't want to do it yourself. Protuallo says his company humanely and lawfully exterminates iguanas using $1,000 precharged pneumatic pistols, by delivering one pellet to the head. 'We don’t shoot to injure, we shoot with intent to kill,' he said. 'My men are well-trained. We follow all laws in every municipality we work.' Statewide laws in Florida say Portuallo's method of extermination is legal, and so is stabbing iguanas in the brain and decapitating them, just as long as they don't suffer. It's illegal to drown, freeze and poison iguanas, not to mention the fact that the latter is dangerous to more than just the reptiles. 'The animals die a slow, excruciating death, which is inhumane,' Portuallo said, adding, 'When you put out rat poison, you can’t control what’s going to consume it,” Portuallo says.'<doc-sep>Do you have an iguana video good enough to compete with these? Email it to Dsweeney@SunSentinel.com and we might use it in a story.<doc-sep>
Iguanas are an invasive species in Florida and experts have seen an increase in population over the last several years. Whether it's to help with population control, or if people just find them down right tasty, reports have been popping up across the state about people eating iguanas. South Florida resident Brittany Peters is one of those people. "I like to promote eating what you harvest and know a lot of people kill iguanas since they are a nuisance, and I wanted to cook and eat them hoping to encourage those who kill them to also eat them," she told ABC Action News. Hunting and eating green iguanas is a cultural practice for many countries in South and Central America. According to National Geographic, the species has been declared endangered in some countries because they have been eating the iguanas for such a long time. Iguanas are referred to as the "chicken of the trees," by iguana eaters, because they are said to taste like chicken. Many people enjoy the meat from iguanas because of the high levels of protein it provides. In fact, iguana is a pretty lean meat and contains more protein than chicken. It's legal to kill iguanas in Florida, but state law requires that the killings be done in a humane manner. Experts recommend shooting iguanas with pellet guns, stabbing them in the brain, or decapitating them without having them suffer. As for cooking them... You can fry them, roast them, boil them, skewer them, or even deep fry them. Peters sauteed the meat with onions and chives, then paired the meat with avocado, sour cream, and salsa to make a burrito. "I tried not to go too heavy on seasoning as I wanted to taste the iguana. It was a little more bland than I typically eat, and will add more spice in the future," she said. So if you're looking for a different way to get rid of the invasive species in your yard, you might consider this option.