According to a recent story in the Palm Beach post, a Florida man saved himself from harm by using a gasmask, bullet proof vest, and ski gloves to wrestle a very large iguana from a woman's toilet in southern Florida.
The story goes on to say that the iguana must have fallen through the vent in the roof of the woman's bathroom and then gotten into the toilet to cool itself down in the porcelain chilled water.
According to the Green Iguana Society, iguanas can be very dangerous and can hurt you in several different ways, to include whipping you wth their tails or biting and scratching you. While the bite isn't poisonous per se, it can be full of bacteria and the many rows of sharp teeth of an iguana can cause a lot of damage. This fact is key to why the use of the gasmask was so important to the wrangling of the wild iguana, because one of the key identifiers of people who have iguanas as pets is said to be the telltale scratches that they have on their faces, necks, and arms.
The mask, while not needed for respiratory protection, was pertinent to the protection of the man's face and because of the availability of the mask, he was able to protect his face from harm when grabbing and expelling the aggressive creature.
The report goes on to explain that the iguana was removed without incident but apparently this is a common problem for people who live in South Florida. All the more reason to have a gasmask on hand or even two for that matter.