Cape Coral, Fla. (WFLA) – Florida residents believe the iguana invasion is due to partial collapse of the building.
According to NBC affiliate WBBH, the abandoned bank’s brick walls had collapsed, with tiled rubs scattered across the ground at the corner of Cape Coral Parkway East and Del Prado Boulevard.
The news station reported that locals point to the invasive green iguana invasion overturning abandoned buildings.
Karin Corey, who lives next to the building, said she is watching the growth of the issue.
“I walk my dog, friends, family and all of a sudden they’re running around like the scene in ‘Jurassic Park’ where all the dinosaurs run,” she told WBBH.
Corey said she saw more than 40 iguanas near the property in a day, and even said she was sunbathing on the rooftop and climbing up the walls of the building.
Photo: Detective Pinellas rescues a young owl from a busy clearwater parking lot
“It’s like a tourist attraction,” she said. “People coming out of town and want to see these iguanas. They drive, they get out of the car and take photos and videos.”
Corey and her husband believe that the reptiles are digging holes behind the exterior walls of the structure, weakening them until they ultimately give way.
“Last week I noticed there were about 30 iguanas behind that brick wall,” Corey said.
Experts said the iguanas may not directly cause collapse, but contribute to the building’s structural problems.
“The idea that an iguana pulled a wall is ridiculous,” said Ned Bruja of Wildlife Whisperer Inc. “But did they contribute to the matter of that property?
Locals are now calling for Cape Coral to intervene before the situation escalates further. Residents worry that as the structure weakens and the iguana population grows, it’s only a matter of time before someone gets injured.
“We’ve been raising the alarm for a while,” Corey told WBBH. “This is no longer a nuisance. It’s dangerous.”
