State culled a number of the non-native reptiles after thousands were ‘cold-stunned’ and dropped from trees
Wildlife officials in Florida say they euthanized more than 5,000 non-native iguanas in the state after hordes of the reptiles froze and fell from trees in this week’s cold snap.
The Florida fish and wildlife commission (FWC) authorized the first officially sanctioned cull of “cold-stunned” iguanas as temperatures plunged below freezing in many areas of the state.
Members of the public, and professional pest control companies, brought 5,195 of the large, invasive green iguanas to FWC collection centers, where they were euthanized.
Almost all of the roundup occurred in south Florida, where the creatures started falling from trees on Saturday. The tropical iguanas’ systems shut down below 45F, but they can remain alive for days, stiff and motionless until temperatures rise.
