BRADENTON HERALD (Florida) 08 September 06 Cold-blooded crime victims spark warm-blooded reaction (Elizabeth Baier, South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
This is the story of Iggy, a 6-foot-3-inch green iguana - and crime victim.
Two weeks ago, someone shot a 16-inch, red crossbow arrow through his neck as he basked along the South Fork Middle River that divides Wilton Manors and Fort Lauderdale.
He was the third iguana victim of such an attack in three months.
"When I saw that arrow, I was just sick to my stomach," said Jon Gorcyca, a Wilton Manors resident who, with his partner Mike Gaupin, has fed the reptile for the past seven years. "How could someone be so cruel? It's just horrible."
But Iggy was determined to live.
On Wednesday, Gorcyca pulled the arrow out of this reptile's back, leaving just a hole below his dorsal spine. By the afternoon, the big animal was back to eating lunch - Romaine lettuce, canned peas and bread - on Gorcyca's backyard deck.
Florida law forbids the relocation of iguanas, but people can trap or kill the animals as long as it's done humanely, said Scott Hardin, with the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. He added that shooting an iguana with an arrow is not considered humane. Doing so is a third-degree felony and punishable by a fine of up to $10,000, according to Florida law.
Native to South America, iguanas have spread throughout South Florida since 1966, when the first one was reported in Miami-Dade, according to the commission. The cold-blooded reptiles can be found in South Florida's warm weather in parking lots, along canals and in backyards.
"(The iguana population) has been growing by leaps and bounds in the last 10 years. Hurricane Andrew paved the way for the current population explosion. It cleared a lot of the canopy," said Hardin, the commission's exotic species coordinator. "We have the ideal green iguana habitat."
Homeowners often seek to kill the reptiles, who like to eat fruits, flowers and vegetables from lush South Florida gardens, Hardin said.
But Lewis Johnson, whose yard backs into the canal where Iggy was found, doesn't buy that.
"A lot of people think they are pests," said Johnson, "but that doesn't give people the right to shoot at them."
Diane Mason, another nearby resident, worries whoever is shooting these arrows may miss the iguana and hit something else.
"Next it'll be the ducks and the dogs," Mason said. "That's horrible."
Cold-blooded crime victims spark warm-blooded reaction