It was an ordinary day for one Khoo Chee Meng in Singapore.

Until he spotted this creature at his HDB staircase.

Khoo told Mothership that he was making his way down from the second floor via the stairs when he encountered the orange iguana.

"I was quite surprised when I saw it...and it was so big as well," Khoo said.

Khoo spotted the iguana earlier today (Dec. 14) at 534 Bukit Batok St 51, at around 1:00pm.

Chased iguana down

He said his father chased the iguana down the stairs to the ground floor, while he called Acres.

Both of them then followed the iguana downstairs.

Here are more photos of the creature on the grass patch:

While waiting for Acres to arrive, they also kept watch to ensure that it did not run on to the road.

Khoo added that the sight of the iguana had caused quite a bit of commotion, with some residents, including his father, being "quite excited to see it".

Khoo said that Acres arrived at around 3pm.

One of their staff was seen wrapping it using a towel and placing it in a cage.

Here's a video:

[video width="640" height="352" mp4="https://static.mothership.sg/1/2019/12/iguana.mp4"][/video]

Mothership has contacted Acres for more information, and will update the story when they reply.

Iguanas not native to Singapore

The creature appears to be exotic, with its vivid orange colouration.

The iguana might also be male, as males often develop a orange-red colour during breeding season.

Iguanas are not native to Singapore, though.

Iguanas, which refer to a whole genus of the reptiles, originate in Central and South America, and are vastly different from Singapore's native monitor lizards and green crested lizards.

They thus cannot be found in the wild here—the one spotted in Bukit Batok could potentially have been an escapee pet.

Illegal to keep iguanas as pets

Incidentally, it is also illegal to keep iguanas as pets in Singapore.

According to the Animal Veterinary Services (AVS), these exotic pets could potentially threaten the survival of native wildlife should they be released into the wild and propagate.

They might also face difficulties adapting to the wild environment.

Any member of public that spots an iguana out and about can call Acres via their 24-hour wildlife rescue hotline at 9783 7782.

Top photo from Khoo Chee Meng.