‘This is not the wild west.’ Florida wildlife officials ask public to refrain from shooting iguanas
Facing the rapid spread of a destructive invasive species, Florida wildlife officials last month began encouraging the public to “humanely kill green iguanas on their own property whenever possible.”
As it turns out, those instructions needed a little bit of clarification.
On Thursday, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission issued a statement underlining its intent.
“Unfortunately, the message has been conveyed that we are asking the public to just go out there and shoot them up,” said FWC Commissioner Rodney Barreto in a press release. “This is not what we are about; this is not the ‘wild west.’ If you are not capable of safely removing iguanas from your property, please seek assistance from professionals who do this for a living.”
The wording on the FWC’s green iguana webpage was also modified to read: “Green iguanas are not protected in Florida except by anti-cruelty laws and can be humanely killed on private property year-round with landowner permission. The FWC encourages removal of green iguanas from private properties by landowners.”
FWC did not cite any specific incidents that made officials feel that the update was necessary, but earlier this month, a pool maintenance technician was accidentally shot with a pellet gun by an “iguana hunter” in Boca Raton, NBC Miami reported.
Green iguanas, an invasive species to Florida, continue to extend their range throughout the Florida peninsula.
The reptiles have been spotted as far north as the Tampa Bay area this summer, including in Manatee and Pinellas counties.
The full extent of the iguanas’ environmental impact is not yet known, but they have already consumed the host plant of the endangered Miami Blue butterfly in South Florida, and they also pose a threat to endangered tree snails.
Iguanas are also a major nuisance for humans, as they eat most fruits and vegetables, dig burrows that damage infrastructure and are potential hosts of Salmonella bacteria.
In Florida, invasive species have no protections except for anti-animal cruelty law, so homeowners are free to capture or “humanely kill” iguanas on their property.
FWC encourages homeowners to obtain euthanasia services from veterinarians, humane societies or an animal control office or contact a professional nuisance wildlife trapper.
Not everyone is thrilled with the agency’s new approach to dealing with iguanas.
An online petition to stop the “government-sanctioned massacre of Florida iguanas” has gotten more than 23,000 signatures to date.
Although catching and relocating invasive species is illegal, homeowners who do not wish to have the reptiles killed can have them removed by licensed wildlife trappers who will keep the iguanas in captivity or sell them.
Pet owners who can no longer care for an iguana can surrender the animal through FWC’s Exotic Pet Amnesty Program, and it will be be re-homed.
This story was originally published July 26, 2019 at 8:27 AM with the headline "‘This is not the wild west.’ Florida wildlife officials ask public to refrain from shooting iguanas ."