LAUDERDALE ISLES, Fla. – Residents of Lauderdale Isles say iguanas in their neighborhood can be a nuisance, but they are more concerned about a group of men they say are shooting the reptiles with pellet guns along the South Fork New River.
Images of the men with long guns drawn in a small boat along the river in Fort Lauderdale have frightened some residents.
“They had three guys, rifles, looking around and then I heard a few more pops, " said David LaChance, a resident of Lauderdale Isles.
LaChance told Local 10′s Roy Ramos it all continues to happen right behind his home. While he and his neighbors know the iguanas are becoming an overwhelming nuisance, the way this group is getting rid of them is a major concern for those who live along the waterway where the shots are being fired.
“We have had to decide what foliage to put where because they do eat a lot of the stuff that is here and I don’t like that they poop,” said LaChance.
A video of the men was sent to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. An investigation is now underway as FWC responded to the complaint.
“It is illegal to shoot any projectile over or across the private property of another without permission, including when on a canal. Florida Statute 810.09 makes it a felony offense to discharge any potentially lethal projectile over or across private land without authorization.”
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Division of Law Enforcement
While LaChance and his neighbors say they will find other ways to try and control the rising iguana population in their area, they are hopeful the invasive group stays away to never return.
“Find a way to do it without the guns in the back yards,” said LaChance.
The residents say no damage or injuries have been reported as a result of the pellets.