Iguana Removal Team Catches 68 Lizards at Historic Fort Myers Beach Site

At the historic Mound House site, a skilled team caught 68 unwanted iguanas in just four days. The Fort Myers Beach town officials picked Sleuth Reptiles to stop these pests from wrecking the 2,000-year-old spot.

"We saw the iguanas tampering with the scene of history," said Adam Knight, manager of the Mound House Museum, to Gulf Coast News. "They've dug multiple burrows around the site, threatening something that has stood for millennia."

These scaly intruders dig deep holes under the shell mound. The soft earth crumbles away, putting the whole structure at risk. Each new tunnel weakens the ground more.

Seth Brattain runs the cleanup work. His crew also removed 17 agamas, another invasive species. They use clever tricks with food traps and special guns to catch these quick creatures.

"We can either trap them using various foods as bait," Brattain said. "But the best way to get rid of them is to walk around with an air rifle and pick them out of the trees."

Brittain plans to offer his services to other local areas, including Cape Coral. "Cape Coral is even worse," Brattain said. "If you take a boat down any of the canals, iguanas are lying everywhere."

These pesky lizards break down walls and wreck buildings all over Fort Myers Beach. The town wants to shield both old and new structures from harm.