The local population in southern and central Taiwan is being urged to find iguana nests – and is being advised by local authorities on fishing spears as the most humane method of killing the animals.
Many bought them as small cute pets without realizing how big and long-lived they would become, so they released them into the wild where they have really had a severe impact on the environment, says Lee Chi-Ya at the Ministry of Agriculture in Pingtung.
Since then, the iguanas, which lack natural predators, have, according to Lee, multiplied at an unprecedented rate and extent.
Therefore, we need to kill them and restore the balance in nature.
Hired hunting teams already killed around 70,000 iguanas on the island last year, in exchange for a bounty of approximately 165 kronor per iguana.
Green iguanas can live for 20 years and females can lay up to 80 eggs per fertilization. The reptiles are not aggressive and eat a mostly plant-based diet.
