Beimen Borough (北門) Warden Hsieh Hsiu-hsia (謝秀霞) saved the day on Wednesday by capturing a wild green iguana that was causing chaos in an alley in Kaohsiung.
A woman surnamed Wu (吳) said she had been watching television at home when she saw the iguana peering in at her and she screamed: “Help, a dinosaur has come.”
The iguana was at least 80cm long, Wu said, adding that she immediately called the borough warden for help.
Photo: Chen Wen-chan, Taipei Times
The reptile was so big that even the neighbors, who had come rushing out of their homes to help Wu, stayed well back for fear that it would leap toward them.
After arriving, Hsieh asked one of the neighbors to catch the iguana by the tail and drop it into the net that she brought.
However, the iguana dropped its tail and climbed up a wall, Hsieh said.
She then reversed the net and scooped it up, making sure it was trapped, she said.
Having been in office for five years, Hsieh is well-known in the borough for capturing dogs and cats, as well as solving other problems.
Hsieh said that this is the fifth green iguana she has caught.
The first time that residents alerted her to the presence of a green iguana, she had been afraid of touching the large reptile, Hsieh said.
However, her concern for the residents overcame her fear and she trapped the iguana under a basket before putting it in a net, she said.
She has not been afraid of iguanas since that first encounter, Hsieh said, adding that people should be careful and avoid their teeth.
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