5-foot iguana found wandering loose in North Carolina

May 9 (UPI) -- Animal control officers in a North Carolina city said they were shocked to round up a 5-foot iguana -- the second such creature found in the city so far this year.

The Raleigh Police Department said animal control officers were dispatched Tuesday night on a report of a large lizard on the loose and they arrived to find a 5-foot iguana.

Iguanas, native to Central America, South America and some Caribbean islands, established a breeding population in the wild in Florida after being brought over from Cuba in the 1960s, but do not have a wild population in North Carolina.

"The weather may be warm and humid, but this is not Florida," police said on social media . "This iguana must have gotten confused."

The iguana was the second to be found wandering loose in Raleigh so far this year, police said.

"We are seeking the public's support in reporting any additional sightings within the city," police wrote.

Animal Control Lt. Jason Boreno said the iguana was likely a pet that escaped from a traveling vehicle.

"Where we located it, we believe whomever had it was traveling and somehow it was released," Borneo told WRAL-TV . "We do not believe that there are just iguanas running around or escaped from a particular business."