The Forestry Bureau has urged people not to eat iguanas and said that the lizards pose a threat to the local environment.
Iguanas are classified as an endangered species in some countries, but not in Taiwan, where they are considered an invasive species that have damaged local ecosystems, the bureau said.
However, cooking iguanas without a permit can result in a fine, it said.
Photo: Wang Hsiu-ting, Taipei Times
Even if a permit were obtained, people still should not eat iguanas or other lizards, as their bodies are hosts to numerous parasites that can cause diseases in humans, it said.
Interest in dishes prepared with iguana meat has been rising, the bureau said, citing a Facebook post by a group of culinary enthusiasts that showed a cook preparing soup made from iguana meat and garlic.
Another post showed iguana meat steamed with garlic paste, the bureau said.
Iguanas were listed as an endangered species in Taiwan as well, but were removed from the list in 2014 due to their increasing numbers, Forestry Bureau Deputy Director Yang Hung-chih (楊宏志) said.
The animals have become a problem for indigenous wildlife, as they compete for resources, Yang said.
Iguanas also dig holes in dikes, affecting water safety, and wreak havoc on farms by eating the vegetation that farm animals would normally eat, he said.
The public should especially avoid eating iguanas captured in the wild, which often find their way into cemeteries and drainage pipes, and are therefore unsanitary, Yang said.
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