Taiwan to kill 120,000 green iguanas to restore ‘natural balance’ | Environmental news
Experts say that May and June are the hatching period, the most suitable time for catching larvae and fry.
Taiwan has announced it will cull up to 120,000 green iguanas, and local authorities are asking the public to help them identify iguana nests, recommending fishing spears as the most humane means of killing the animals.
Taiwan’s Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency said about 200,000 of the reptiles were believed to be in the southern and central areas of the island, which depend heavily on farming.
Specially hired hunting teams killed about 70,000 iguanas last year, with rewards of up to $15 each.
“Many people bought them as cute little pets, not realizing how big and long-lived they would become, so they released them into the wild, where they really transitioned into Taiwan’s environment,” said Lee Chi-ya of the southern Pingtung County Agricultural Department.
“This allowed them to reproduce at a considerable rate, which is why we had to destroy them and restore the balance in nature.”
Green iguanas have no natural predators in Taiwan and have moved into areas that can be difficult to access, mostly forests and the edges of cities.
Males can grow up to two meters (6.6 feet), weigh 5 kg (11 pounds) and live up to 20 years, while females can lay up to 80 eggs at a time.
Mainly native to Central America and the Caribbean, they are not aggressive despite their sharp tails and razor-like jaws and teeth. Reptiles mainly feed on fruits, leaves and plants, with the occasional small animal thrown in.
Although they are popular as pets, they are difficult to keep healthy in captivity and many die within a year.
The Taiwan News website quoted Tainan Agriculture Bureau official Chu Chien-ming as saying that May and June are the hatching periods of green iguanas, making them the most suitable time to capture the larvae and young to prevent them from spreading and breeding.
