‘How Is That Even Legal?’: Man Opens FedEx Package, Live Iguana Escapes Inside Store

There’s a video making the rounds online that has people utterly confused, and it involves a pretty large iguana that was allegedly shipped inside a FedEx box. In the clip, a guy is recording himself at a FedEx location where he’s picking up a package marked "Live Animals" and "Temperature Sensitive." The box is also labeled to remain upright.

After setting the box down for the man, one of the workers, who is curious about the contents, finds out there’s an iguana inside and wants to know how big it is.

FedEx Workers Ask the Man to Open Up the Box

In the clip, which has since been reshared by X user @raphousetv2, the worker hands the man a box cutter so he can open it inside the store. So, he does. After cutting the box open, he removes what looks like a piece of foam covering the top, though the entire box looks like it’s lined with foam. There’s also some paper in there for extra cushioning. He then pulls out a white bag that appears to be surrounded by temperature-controlled packs.

While the iguana stays pretty still as he's holding the bag, the moment he begins to flip it over to let it out, it suddenly starts wiggling aggressively and darts out of the bag.

The women immediately begin to scream, with one elderly worker freaking out so much that she falls to the ground. The other worker, who asked to see what was inside the box, is now hiding behind a chair. As for the iguana, it disappeared from the camera’s view after scrambling through the PVC strip curtains on the conveyor belt.

While the iguana escaping certainly scared the workers, it also terrified customers. One woman can even be seen sitting on the counter, seemingly trying to put as much distance as she can between her and the reptile.

While the escape drew attention online as the iguana goes on the loose inside a FedEx store, many people in the comments were more shocked by the way it had allegedly been shipped. According to UPS guidelines, live animals actually can be shipped and must be placed in a new box. The company also states that "Lizards and geckos should be individually contained in bags constructed of breathable material, such as burlap."

Additionally, live animals are only accepted for transport if they're expected to arrive at their destination the next day. Cooling requirements are also listed, at least for UPS.

While these are UPS' guidelines and not FedEx's, at least they address the question that kept coming up in the comments, with many people asking if it's legal to ship an iguana like that.

The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify when or where the video was recorded or the circumstances surrounding the shipment.