SUNRISE, Fla. — When temperatures dropped so low in Florida that cold-stunned green iguanas were falling from trees, state animal regulators moved quickly.
On Jan. 30, Roger Young, the director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, signed an executive order that expired at 4 p.m. on Monday.
In a statement, Young said there was “a unique opportunity for ... the public to remove cold-stunned green iguanas ... and bring them to the FWC, no permit required.”
The FWC announced five drop-off locations, including one at the FWC office in Sunrise, for the “wild-caught green iguanas” to be brought in “cloth sacks.”
On Wednesday morning, FWC officials in Tallahassee announced that 3,882 of the 5,195 the public collected statewide were dropped off at the office in Sunrise, and “humanely killed by trained staff.”
The FWC also received 1,075 in Tequesta, 215 in Marathon, and 23 in Fort Myers.
“As an invasive species, green iguanas have negative impacts on Florida’s environment and economy,” Young said.
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