It’s that time again; iguanas are falling from trees due to a chilly snap in Florida. Wildlife officials see it as an opportunity to tackle the invasiveness of the species.
“Some of the iguanas were six to six-and-a-half feet long. They looked like dragons, which is kind of wild,” shared iguana hunter Ryan Izquierdo.
“It was really something,” he added, referring to the facility where they rounded up and, well, dealt with the reptiles.
South Florida endured a brutal drop in temperature over the weekend but is supposed to warm up slightly, with forecasts suggesting a return to the 40s, with “feels like” temperatures in the 30s.
Typically, Miami’s low in February is about 68 degrees.
With many iguanas stuck in a “cold-stunned” state, officials are calling upon the public to help capture these unwanted creatures for removal.
“We haven’t seen this kind of cold in years,” noted Shannon Knowles from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. “So we thought we should take advantage of it to reduce this invasive species.”
She mentioned it’s the first organized effort for removing invasive iguanas in this manner.
As the temperatures dip below 40 degrees, iguanas often become paralyzed and can fall from their usual spots.
While they can recover once they thaw out, the damage that these reptiles do has been a concern for a long while, from ruining gardens to eroding banks and seawalls.
An executive order was put out Friday, allowing the collection of frozen iguanas by individuals without permits to bring them for humane removal.
Some might even be passed on for live animal sales.
Dramatic scenes of these cold-affected iguanas have been shared extensively, with images showing them sprawled on the ground from Miami to Jupiter.
As a second wave of cold approaches, temperatures reached a high of 58 degrees in South Florida recently, but the chill is forecasted to linger through the weekend, with projected lows in the 40s.
Last Sunday saw record-breaking cold in multiple areas across the state, leading to the coldest February on record in cities like Daytona Beach and Orlando.
