During a recent cold snap that brought freezing temperatures to much of Florida, 5,195 cold-stunned invasive green iguanas were collected and removed from the state’s ecosystems, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said in a news release.
The FWC’s special Executive Order 26-03 gave people temporary permission to collect the iguanas without a required permit. They were dropped off at FWC locations across South Florida on Feb. 1-2.
Green iguanas are a prohibited species in the state because of their negative impacts on native wildlife and the economy, FWC officials said. They can’t be possessed without a permit.
“The special regulations under [the executive order] provided a unique opportunity for members of the public to remove cold-stunned green iguanas from their property during the recent unusual cold weather and bring them to the FWC, no permit required,” FWC executive director Roger Young said.
FWC staff worked with permit holders authorized to be in possession of live green iguanas to coordinate the transfer of live iguanas to their care, including for sale outside of the state.
Any iguanas turned in to FWC that couldn’t be transferred to permit holders were humanely killed by trained staff.
Out of the 5,195 green iguanas collected by the FWC, 3,882 of the invasive reptiles were collected at the FWC’s Sunrise drop-off location. The FWC’s Tequesta location received 1,075 green iguanas, the Marathon drop-off site received 215 green iguanas, and the Fort Myers location received 23 green iguanas.
Invasive green iguanas are not protected in Florida except by state anti-cruelty laws, and members of the public can humanely kill green iguanas year-round on their property or with landowner permission.