Taiwan plans to cull up to 120,000 green iguanas, with supporters urging humane methods to bring down the animal\u2019s population, which is wreaking havoc on the island\u2019s agricultural sector. <\/p>\n
Around 200,000 of the reptiles are believed to be in the island\u2019s southern and central areas, which are heavily dependent on farming, according Chiu Kuo-hao of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency. <\/p>\n
Specially recruited hunting teams killed about 70,000 iguanas last year, with bounties of up to $15 each. Local governments have asked the public to help identify iguana nests and they recommend fishing spears as the most humane means of killing the animals. <\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people bought them as cute little pets, not realizing how big and long-lived they would become, so they set them free in the wild, where they\u2019ve really taken to the Taiwanese environment,\u201d said Lee Chi-ya of the agricultural department in the southern county of Pingtung. \u201cThat\u2019s allowed them to reproduce at a considerable rate, necessitating us to cull them and restore the balance of nature.\u201d <\/p>\n
Green iguanas have no natural predators in Taiwan and have moved into areas that can be difficult to access, mostly forests and the edges of towns. <\/p>\n
Males can grow to 2 feet (6.6 feet) long, weigh 5 kilograms (11 pounds) and live up to 20 years, while females can lay up to 80 eggs at a time. <\/p>\n
Mainly native to Central America and the Caribbean, they are not aggressive despite possessing sharp tails and jaws and razor-like teeth. The reptiles subsist on a diet of mostly fruit, leaves and plants, with the occasional small animal thrown in. <\/p>\n
Though popular as pets, they are difficult to keep healthy in captivity and many die within a year. <\/p>\n
Hsu Wei-chieh, secretary general of the Reptile Conservation Association of Taiwan, said his group wants to teach farmers how to stay safe, protect their property and treat the iguanas in a humane manner. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re here to help see that this project is carried out smoothly,\u201d said Hsu. <\/p>\n
Tsai Po-wen, a vegetable farmer in Pingtung, said the training was paying off. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe used to attack them, but it wasn\u2019t any use. Now we\u2019re learning more effective, safer methods,\u201d Tsai said. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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