Huge iguana attracts onlookers near Hillview MRT Station: 'It was my lucky day'

A Stomper said it was his 'lucky day' after spotting an iguana near Hillview MRT Station on Mar 28.

He shared photos and videos of the reptile that was seen climbing a tree and exploring some plants and bushes.

"I was smoking a cigarette when I saw it," he said.

"It was my first time seeing one in that area even though there is a signboard stating that iguanas are on-site.

"Many people I asked said they had never seen one before either.

"I guess it was my lucky day."

In the clips, some of the onlookers think it is a chameleon.

A voice suggested that such reptiles are 'very expensive'.

Others asked where it came from and if it will hurt people.

Although it is not uncommon to catch a glimpse of the green iguana in Singapore, they are not native and were once pets.

The species likely originated from the exotic pet trade and are native to the Middle East and South America.

They are largely herbivorous and can grow to about 1.7m long.

In an earlier statement to Stomp, the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES) said: "The illegal and exotic pet trade causes misery to millions of wild animals worldwide as they are poached from the wild and smuggled globally for various purposes, like the exotic pet trade and animal parts for medicinal purposes."

The animal welfare charity’s co-chief executive, Ms Anbarasi Boopal explained why such pets are abandoned to The Straits Times: "When they grow big, people don’t know what to do with them. And they can bite."