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Iguana Invasion and
Control
in South
Florida
Iguana
click pic to enlarge
There are increasing reports from homeowners, motorists and tourists of Iguana lizards scaring folks throughout South Florida. It appears all of Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe counties are affected There are three types to contend with, all feral (non-native, gone wild) in South Florida. (1) "common green" variety, the (2) "Mexican spiny-tailed" and (3) "black spiny-tailed" iguana. Have heard there is a 4th variety here as well :( Perhaps hundreds of thousands of feral Iguana now roam the countryside, but also prominent in upscale neighborhoods, especially near water, like the Intracoastal Waterway
Even in The Florida Keys such as Big Pine Key in Monroe County are inundated. Iguanas are so thick they cause traffic hazards as they amble across the road, especially US-1 The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is not helpful at this time (October 2003). Checking their website yields no help for homeowners losing fruit and flowers and other foliage to Iguana dining ...it is said red is their favorite flower (color) to eat The University of Florida has additional information, but no good news for you, sorry. Their statements include, "Damage caused by iguanas includes eating valuable landscape plants, shrubs, and trees, eating orchids and many other flowers, eating dooryard fruit like berries, figs, mangos, tomatoes, bananas, lychees, etc. Iguanas do not eat citrus. Burrows that they dig undermine sidewalks, seawalls, and foundations. Burrows of iguanas next to seawalls allow erosion and eventual collapse of those seawalls. Droppings of iguanas litter areas where they bask. This is unsightly, causes odor complaints, and is a possible source of salmonella bacteria, a common cause of food poisoning. Adult iguanas are large powerful animals that can bite, cause severe scratch wounds with their extremely sharp claws, and deliver a painful slap with their powerful tail." The full U of F article is here Quoting part of a Miami Herald
article, "The lizards, Bergh said, love to swim, tend to defecate near water -- meaning
boats, seawalls, and Jacuzzi platforms -- and are known to carry nasty germs,
such as salmonella, that can be transferred to humans.
They munch on foliage and flower blossoms, especially bright-colored ones
like hibiscus. Fearless climbers with sharp toenails, they can easily scale
treetops that are out of reach for other species." In the West Indies, the problem is exotic pests like rats, feral cats,
mongoose, etc are invading Iguana habitats. In
one report,
four tactics are used to protect Iguana territories including (1) shooting,
(2) poisoning, (3) trapping and (4) disease. Reading this information indicates that
without deep commitment and effort over time, we have no chance to either
eradicate or control the Iguana invasion of South Florida
Another Miami Herald article by Daphne Duret published August 1, 2003, is
headlined "For Hungry Iguana, South Florida is on the
Menu" and states in part, "The flower beds at the Crandon Gardens duck pond, which should be
a splash of brightly colored
thryallis, shooting stars and hibiscus, are now a
mass of gnawed-on leaves and withered branches surrounded by a well-chewed lawn.
Flora and fauna alike bow to the new kings of the Key Biscayne garden: a tribe
of iguanas, many of them former pets, which have grown into a Godzilla-sized
problem. They're huge. They're hungry. And they're eating parts of South Florida." Headlines in the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel Newspaper include these we
found, RESIDENTS FEAR ALLIGATOR, FRIGHT OF THE IGUANA RELEASED AS PETS, FIERCE-LOOKING LIZARDS THRIVE IN
SOUTH FLORIDA 4-FOOT IGUANA KILLED AFTER BITING TEENAGER ; REPTILE SEVERS NEW OWNER'S
FINGERTIP At this time (November 2003) no private nor government agency is
doing anything worth reporting except Lee County which recently (December
2006 hired a trapper @ $20.00 per beast caught). Check your 22 and ammo Homeowners,
you are basically on your own
We have read using a product called GalicGuard works to discourage Iguana
munching. We assume GalicGuard is a standard concentrated
garlic mixture sprayed on flowers
and foliage
A new claim is that Neem Oil is a deterrent
More news.... we had an accidental lunch (Burger King) with a professional animal
trapper. We saw Steve's truck in the parking lot and thought we'd grill
him for some iguana tips...
Basically, he say iguanas are totally comfortable in our South Florida
environment and are breeding like crazy. Should you decide to remove the
ones who show up on your property, others from nearby areas will soon learn your
home is open territory and move in
Steve is unaware of homeowners shooting the pests; probably for safety reasons.
However, BB guns can ward off persistent iguana lounging in your trees and
outdoor people spaces
Steve also confirmed their favorite foods are fruits and vegetables, which,
unfortunately, includes your flowers. Apparently hibiscus flowers are
savored but most other flowers can/will be eaten as well
September 2006 it was reported several iguana were found dead, shot
with a crossbow
Well, the local newspaper and several radio stations followed up and it was reported that
killing iguana (legal) was not legal
in this case because
using a crossbow was not a
humane manner of elimination ...what does that mean
So maybe strangling is OK?
How about an AK-47?
Flame thrower?
Geez, we're doomed
There are several other varieties of Iguana. We took these photos at
Monkey Jungle
Craving more Iguana info and pics?
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