More than 36,000 green iguanas have been culled since a campaign to eliminate the invasive species was launched at the beginning of this year, about three times the number in the same period of last year, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency said yesterday.
The Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with local governments launched the campaign to battle the threat of the species to ecosystems and agriculture, the agency said in a statement.
The current period is crucial in controlling the green iguana population, because they tend to breed in the dry season, from last month to September, with priority given to culling mature female iguanas, and destroying their nests and eggs, it said.
Photo courtesy of Hsieh Chi-liang
The agency said it has set up four teams of indigenous hunters to work together with nine professional teams commissioned by local governments to eliminate the species in the wild.
A total of 36,543 green iguanas have been culled this year, triple the number in the same period last year, agency statistics showed.
Local governments have held 15 training sessions and trained 1,635 people to remove or control the reptiles, the agency said.
The agency implemented a ban on the importation of green iguanas in June 2015 and classified the popular pet lizard as an invasive species in September 2020, requiring owners to register their pets and banning unauthorized breeding.
However, the green iguana population in Taiwan has continued to grow over the past few years, particularly in the south.
Green iguanas were introduced as pets to Taiwan about 20 to 30 years ago, and the population has exploded since then. About 200,000 of the reptiles are believed to be in southern and central Taiwan, the agency said.
Taiwan began culling iguanas about 10 years ago, and the government aims to cull 120,000 of the reptiles this year, the agency said.
The ministry set up a green iguana control task force on Dec. 5 last year.
It also rolled out an agricultural damage reporting app update, which includes a green iguana reporting and removal section where professionals can post information and photos of captured iguanas.
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