It’s quite literally raining iguanas in the “Sunshine State,” and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is taking advantage of the opportunity.
Believe it or not, the phenomenon of falling iguanas can occur in parts of Florida during winter time. Iguanas live in many parts of the state – especially the southern portion – and when temperatures dip closer to freezing, the cold-blooded reptiles simply (and literally) can’t hang.
When a cold snap hits Florida, the green creatures stiffen up and become immobile. In order to conserve energy, and because iguanas depend on external heat sources to regulate their body temperature, they’ll enter into a torpor state. Doing so helps them maintain their bodily functions… but it also can render their body useless until it’s able to warm back up.
Temperatures have dropped well below 50 degrees in much of Florida during the past couple of days (in some cases it’s even gotten below freezing), and that was plenty cold for iguanas to start falling out of trees and other forms of vegetation they typically call home. And fun fact: the bigger the iguana, the better they can handle the cold weather, and less time it takes for them to recover.
Though some might not have the time to recover this time around… because the state of Florida decided to take advantage of the cold spell and signed an executive order to get rid of iguanas stuck in their torpor state. The official social media account for the FWC shared this message earlier today:
“If you’re in South or Southwest Florida, a new Executive Order allowing you to remove these invasive reptiles from your property and bring them to one of five designated FWC offices today and tomorrow, Feb. 1 and 2 – no permit required! REMEMBER: The iguanas must be contained in a secure, escape-proof, cloth sack or bag. Only cloth sacks or bags may be used for primary containment to ensure breathability, and they must be securely closed shut.”
Yeah… Florida is telling its residents to round up all the iguanas they can find and bring them in.
An official statement on January 30 spoke on the new executive order that was signed into effect. Basically, while the invasive cold-blooded creatures are frozen, Florida is trying to get rid of as many as they can:
“The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) issued a new executive order outlining special regulations designed to temporarily allow people to remove live, cold-stunned green iguanas from the wild without a permit and bring them directly to five designated FWC offices in the South and Southwest Regions on Sunday, Feb. 1 and Monday, Feb. 2. Green iguanas are an invasive lizard in Florida that have adverse impacts on Florida’s environment and economy.
The special regulations under Executive Order 26-03 provide a unique opportunity for members of the public to remove green iguanas from their property during this unusual cold-weather event and bring them to the FWC, no permit required, to be humanely killed or, in some cases, transferred to permittees for live animal sales.”
So that’s what people of the great state of Florida are doing.
You’ve got to hand it to the state of Florida. They take care of business whenever they can, however they can, and no matter how weird it looks. I’ve never seen a frozen iguana moved from a big container to a knapsack like that… but if it’s being done in the name of conservation, than so be it.
The FWC says this new executive order is being rolled out solely for invasive species management purposes:
“Invasive species management is a high priority for the FWC because these animals negatively impact native fish and wildlife, cause damage that is costly to repair, and can pose a threat to human health and safety.”
