November 27, 2007

After finding three iguanas injured by crossbows in Cape Coral, one couple is hoping city officials will try and stop the violence against lizards before another animal or person gets hurt.

In the past three weeks, Tom and Sandra Allen have captured three injured iguanas, all of which had the same short, red crossbow arrows stuck into them. Since then, one of the lizards has died, while the other two are still recovering at the Clinic for Rehabilitation of Wildlife on Sanibel.

“It’s upsetting because these animals are not harming anyone,” Sandra Allen said. “I don’t know if it’s easy target practice, or someone is just malicious or has a real vendetta against them and doesn’t understand they are harmless.”

Tom Allen, a retired wildlife biologist, does volunteer work with the Sanibel organization when they need help trapping animals.

The Allens said on Nov. 4, they were asked to capture two iguanas with crossbow injuries near a canal on SE 12th Avenue near Del Prado Boulevard. After much searching, they found a young 3-foot lizard and an older four-foot lizard, each with a crossbow arrows sticking from the die of their bodies.

After locating the animals, the iguanas were transported to CROW for treatment.

Sue Scott, an official at CROW, confirmed the center had taken in iguanas with crossbow injuries for treatment earlier this month, but offered no further information on their condition.

Tom Allen said the smaller of the lizards died from his injuries, and the other was still recovering.

But less than two weeks after finding those lizards, Tom Allen said he was called to the same general area when residents reported seeing a 5-foot iguana with an arrow in its leg.

“People said they had come out and enjoyed seeing him for years, and to see him with an arrow in his leg made them very upset,” Tom Allen said.

Kraig Hankins, an environmental biologist with Cape Coral, said the iguanas are an invasive exotic species, and have no special protections. However, the same animal cruelty laws affecting all animals also protect the iguanas.

“We generally tell people not to bother with them,” Hankins said. “If you want to, you can call a private trapper in to get rid of them.”