China News Service, November 14th. According to Taiwan's "China Times Electronic News", the county government of Penghu has recently received complaints that the traces of green iguanas have been found. The preliminary analysis is that people abandon pets and cause disasters, which may harm people, destroy crops and roads, and endanger the ecological environment. The county is reporting that the whole county is on guard.
The little girl holds a green iguana in her hand. Photo by Chen Kewen, a reporter from Taiwan's China Times Electronic News,
The green iguana originated from the Americas is an omnivorous reptile. The young lizards grow fast and can be as long as 2 meters long. It was once popular among Taiwanese people to raise them as pets. However, green iguanas are getting bigger and bigger, which has caused heavy burdens for the breeders, so they are randomly discarded in the wild, resulting in an increase in the number of green iguanas in Taiwan and an astonishing spread rate, and the ecological environment is greatly affected.
News of the dangers of green iguanas have been reported throughout Taiwan, and there have been many "falls" in southern Taiwan such as Pingtung County, Kaohsiung County, Tainan County, etc., indicating that the number of green iguanas in Taiwan continues to increase, and even a natural reproductive chain has been established.
At the end of October, the Penghu County Agriculture and Fisheries Bureau received a report from the public that a green iguana was found to be killed by a car by a car on the road in Dongweili. After preliminary investigation, it should have been abandoned, and it is not ruled out that it was hidden in a large oil tanker or bulk cargo ship "smuggled into Taiwan".
Penghu County Agriculture and Fisheries Bureau pointed out that green iguanas lay about 20-50 eggs and can survive for 10-15 years. When encountering natural enemies, they will not only dive into the water and swim, but will also be whipped with a hard tail or bite with sharp claws and mouth, which can easily harm people. In addition, green iguanas will chew crops, dig soil, destroy nurseries, etc., and even damage roads and damage the ecological environment.
In 2017, Taiwan’s “Committee on Agriculture” announced that green iguanas are “an alien species that must be removed”. Penghu County Government called on the public to be alert. If traces of green iguanas are found, they must be reported to be captured immediately to avoid being attacked.
