Mount Pleasant, South Carolina – A search is underway in a Mount Pleasant neighborhood after residents reported that someone abandoned a huge iguana in Toler’s Cove.
From backyard sightings to neighborhood group chats, Toler’s Cove locals have been on the watch since they discovered what is believed to be a five-foot-long iguana dumped in the area.
Resident Diana Bunzel stated that it wasn’t just a small lizard, but a large one. “You don’t usually expect to see a five-foot iguana on your afternoon stroll.”
Residents of Toler’s Cove are accustomed to seeing wildlife on their walks, but what they witnessed last night stopped them in their tracks. Neighbors reported seeing a five-foot-long iguana prowling the area.
Scott Fletcher, a neighbor, claimed that as he approached the iguana, it became increasingly similar in size to him. “It seems quite prehistoric. “It has spikes and long claws.”
They claimed they thought it was abandoned. Bunzel stated that she was walking down the street at 4:00 p.m. on October 7th when she noticed a vehicle pulled up to the pond.
“His trunk was open, and he was carrying this squirming sack. “He drops the bag, and out comes this very large iguana,” Bunzel explained.
Fletcher also revealed that the individual who abandoned the animal claimed to be assisting it. “One of my neighbors saw a stranger in the area. He claimed he was saving it from the pond over here. But he didn’t.”
Iguanas can be kept as pets in South Carolina, but they cannot be released into the wild. Adults can reach seven feet in height and weigh up to twenty pounds. Iguanas aren’t usually aggressive.
If they believe they are being threatened, they may attack. With pets and toddlers in the area, word spread rapidly, and residents are frightened.
“It went a bit viral. People began publishing stuff online; it was like wandering around our house. So I went out with a little caution. “And then I saw it on one of the columns, two houses down,” Fletcher explained.
Animal control was summoned, but by the time they arrived, the iguana had vanished.
“They would only come back if you spotted the iguana and actually knew where it was and could keep it, keep an eye on it because it’s, it’s very difficult,” Fletcher told me.
Residents also stated that they had set food out to try to capture it and were hoping to relocate it securely.
“You don’t see this every day. It is an extremely tight-knit neighborhood. As a result, everyone works together, and people keep an eye out. “Hopefully, we’ll find him,” Bunzel said.
They also added that they are checking security camera footage to identify the person who abandoned it.
