Taiwan to Kill Tens of Thousands of Iguanas to Protect Farmland

Taiwan plans to kill up to 120,000 green iguanas that are damaging the island's agriculture industry.

Around 200,000 of the animals are believed to be in the island's southern and central areas.

Both areas are heavily dependent on farming, said Qiu Huo Hao of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency.

Special hunting teams killed about 70,000 iguanas last year, earning up to $15 for each kill.

Local governments have asked the public to help identify iguana nests or homes.

Officials also advised people to use fishing spears to kill the iguanas in the most humane way.

Li Chih-Yah is with the Agriculture Department in the southern county of Pingdong.

Li said many people in Taiwan bought iguanas as pets, not understanding how big they get or how long they live.

So they set them free in the wild, where they've really taken to the Taiwanese environment, Li said.

This permitted the animals to, in Li's words, reproduce at a considerable rate, necessitating us to cull them and restore the balance of nature.

Green iguanas have no natural predators in Taiwan.

The animals have moved into areas that can be difficult to enter, mostly forests and the edges of towns.

Males can grow to 2 meters long and weigh as much as 5 kilograms.

Females are a little smaller and can lay up to 80 eggs at a time.

The green iguana can live up to 20 years.

The animals are native mainly to Central America and the Caribbean.

They have sharp spines on their body and sharp teeth as well.

Their tails are powerful and can strike in attack or defensive actions.

Experts say iguanas are not aggressive animals.

Their diet is mainly plants, including fruits and leaves.

Hsieh Hui-Chieh is Secretary General of the Reptile Conservation Association of Taiwan.

He said the group wants to teach farmers how to stay safe, protect their property, and treat the iguanas humanely.

We're here to help see that this project is carried out smoothly, said Hsieh.

Tsai Pou-Wen, a vegetable farmer in Pindong, said the training was valuable.

We used to attack them, but it wasn't any use.

Now we're learning more effective, safer methods, Tsai said. I'm Katie Weaver.