Taiwan has proposed destroying up to 120,000 green iguanas
In Taiwan may destroy up to 120 thousand green iguanas, which threaten the agricultural sector of the island. This was reported by AP News on Thursday, January 23.
Currently, according to information from the Forestry and Nature Protection Agency of the island, there are about 200 thousand iguanas in the central and southern regions, which is many times higher than the normal population level. Because the animals lack food, they are beginning to ravage farmland. The iguanas feed on fruits and plants, but they don't shy away from small animals on occasion.
"A lot of people bought them as cute little pets without realizing how big and long-lived they would become, so they released them into the wild where they really took root in the Taiwanese environment. This allowed them to reproduce at a high rate, which forced us to shoot them and restore the balance of nature," said Lee Chi-ya, a spokesman for the agriculture department of southern Pingdong County.
These large lizards, which can weigh up to 5 kilograms, have no enemies in their natural environment in Taiwan and are not hunted. The problem has existed for years. In 2024, a reward of about $15 each was set for killing an iguana. Specially recruited hunting teams killed then about 70 thousand of these reptiles.
This year, along with extermination, more humane methods are proposed. Thus, the Secretary General of the Association for Reptile Conservation of Taiwan Xu Weijie has assembled a group that will train local farmers on measures to preserve their territories without killing animals.
Earlier, on January 20, it was reported that the state of Alaska intends to resume the practice of shooting wild bears and wolves by hunters from helicopters. According to The Guardian, this measure could lead to the destruction of up to 80% of animals on an area of more than 8 thousand hectares. Many activists condemned this practice, calling it barbaric, as there is no evidence that it will lead to an increase in the number of elk and deer.
