Iguana on the Loose

Who knew it was illegal to have an iguana in New York? Not Gothamist. But that's what we learned while reading about a four foot iguana found stranded in Brooklyn. Animal Care & Control had to remove an iguana from a tree in Midwood - it ran up there when the police arrived (maybe it was afraid of getting a summons). The Post says the iguana was first seen on the street last week, with some residents thinking it might be an alligator. AC&C think it was someone's pet and will try to locate its owner. And, since both the Daily News and Post referenced it in their headlines, it's a good time to catch up on your Tennessee Williams and read The Night of the Iguana.

Gothamist decided to check out the NYC Health Code to see what animals are legal and illegal. The list of prohibited animals is actually kind of funny - here's a sampling:

(3) All bears, including polar, grizzly, brown and black bear.
(8) All non-human primates, including, but not limited to, monkey, ape, chimpanzee, gorilla and lemur.
(10) Reptiles (Reptilia)...all members of the order Crocodylia, including, but not limited to alligator, caiman and crocodile.
(19) All elephants (Proboscides)

And like so many New Yorkers, Lyle Lyle the Crocodile was an illegal NYC resident!