Apple, scrapple, and… iguanas?
A vendor at Bridgeville’s annual Apple Scrapple Festival last week distributed green iguanas as a prize, and state officials are raising a red flag over it.
“People don't go to a fair or a festival thinking that they're going to win a green iguana. And these animals are considered exotic to Delaware. That means they're not native. And there’s a concern that if they're released to the wild that there would be implications involving our native habitats that they could cause harm to,” said Delaware Department of Agriculture’s Stacey Hofmann.
She adds they learned of the issue when people called asking what to do with the iguanas.
For others who may have found themselves wondering what to do with their new pet, the Department of Ag has an answer.
“We really want them to know that we don’t want them released into the wild, and that we're here to help. And the best way to do that is to reach out to the Department of Agriculture because we work with an assortment of reptile rehabilitation centers and rescues that have experience with these animals and can help rehome them with people who have experience in working with them.”
In addition to the ecological harm iguanas could cause to Delaware if introduced to the environment, they are also unlikely to survive since they are sensitive to cold temperatures.
If it is below freezing for more than 8 hours, iguanas will die. They require a warm microclimate to survive in areas they’re not native to.
But keeping these iguanas at home could pose a risk to new and inexperienced owners. Iguanas naturally carry Salmonella and other bacterias that make people sick if they don’t properly handle the creature.
The Ag Department is encouraging anyone who received a green iguana at the Apple Scrapple Festival and no longer wants it to contact the Poultry and Animal Health Section at 302-698-4500.
