Green iguana owners heartbroken as pets become prey, support humane removal and urge no cruel killing

Green iguanas have become a scourge in southern Taiwan, China, and have turned into a public enemy for virtually everyone. The government recently announced a legal amendment listing the green iguana as a "harmful invasive species," requiring the removal of wild populations for humane handling. Pet green iguanas kept in homes will also be fully registered and regulated; those found unregistered will be fined and may have their animals confiscated.

Green iguanas also have a community of enthusiasts in the country. They support the government's humane removal policy, but the arbitrary killing and eating of iguanas by the public has left iguana lovers heartbroken. They call for respect for life and respect for diverse cultures, urging that the removal policy must not become animal cruelty, and they hope the government will establish an adoption system to leave a window of hope for innocent lives.

Public opinion often blames the green iguana problem on owners abandoning their pets, but scholar Chen Tian-xi, who has long monitored green iguanas, found that many wild populations have iguana breeding farms or display venues near their sources. The main cause of iguanas escaping into the wild is likely the businesses, not individual owners abandoning their pets. "The number of iguanas abandoned by individual owners is not enough to evolve into wild populations," he added.

He also criticized the demonization of green iguanas and the arbitrary hunting of them. He stated that removing invasive species should be based on humane principles, professionalism and management, but local agricultural authorities are currently rewarding citizens for hunting, which has even escalated into cruel killing - this is already wrong behavior.

Deadline at the end of November; after that, keeping, possessing or breeding without registration will be illegal

Thirty years ago, the film "Jurassic" sparked a dinosaur craze, and businesses introduced green iguanas to Taiwan, China, from Central and South America. Unexpectedly, some green iguanas escaped. Due to their strong reproductive capacity, they adapted well to the wild in Taiwan, China, and their populations exploded. Now wild green iguana populations have become a threat to the ecological environment, causing damage to crops, bridges and riverbanks.

On August 16 last year (2019), the Council of Agriculture, pursuant to Article 31 of the Wildlife Conservation Act, announced the American green iguana as a "terrestrial wildlife species harmful to the ecological environment that is originally non-native to our country." On August 20 this year, a revised announcement was issued again: except for variant morphs (captive-bred albino or other colors, which have poor environmental adaptability), owners of normal-colored green iguanas must register with county and city governments before November 30. Those found keeping or possessing unregistered iguanas after the deadline will be fined 10,000 to 50,000 yuan and may have their animals confiscated.

Because of their environment-damaging image, green iguanas have become a public enemy, and even local governments reward citizens for hunting them, triggering a wave of iguana hunting among the public. Many videos can be found online showing people using slingshots, gas guns and harpoons to hunt green iguanas, even skinning them and roasting them for food, claiming they are protecting the environment by eliminating a pest.

These hunting actions that appear to protect the environment are deeply distressing in the eyes of iguana lovers. They have voluntarily launched rescue operations, opening adoption and registration rescue networks within their community, which has unexpectedly drawn outside attention to this group of iguana enthusiasts.

Cold-blooded animals meet warm-hearted people: why do green iguana owners love them?

The online community "Iguana Alliance" currently has about 3,000 members. Moderator Partrick says, "Many people fall in love with reptiles because they love dinosaurs. The green iguana has the closest appearance to a dinosaur, and iguana keepers have become a subculture community." Interestingly, Partrick estimates that among green iguana owners, more than half are women.

Another "Iguana Alliance" moderator, Zhao Jia-mi, also provides foster shelter for iguanas. She says that green iguanas are generally perceived as fierce and aggressive, but they are actually gentle vegetarians. "Iguanas have roughly the intelligence of a 3-4 year old, and after taming they will recognize their owner and can even be trained to use the toilet - they love cleanliness." They do not shed fur, have only a faint leathery smell, are quiet and not clingy, making them very suitable for home-based workers who do not want hassle.

Zhao Jia-mi, who works in the art industry, observes that most iguana keepers are people who love dinosaurs. "Green iguanas have a unique beauty; beneath their beautiful appearance they maintain an independent personality. Watching them often brings inspiration, which attracts many people in design and art fields to keep them." She says many independent freelancers need long periods of concentration without wanting to be disturbed, and reptiles not needing clingy companionship is also a reason for keeping them.

She describes the iguana training process as being like a dog, but with a personality like a cat, and the relationship with the owner is like that of a roommate. "An iguana may quietly stay in one place all day, not moving and not paying much attention to people. But when it gets cold in winter or in an unfamiliar environment, it will cling to its owner for warmth or protection." As for the aggression people worry about, she believes, "Any animal with teeth can bite, but through taming and companionship, you can always find a way for humans and pets to coexist."

Once a darling pet, now a public enemy; enthusiasts say arbitrary cruel killing is unfair to animals

Now that green iguanas have become a public enemy and are being widely condemned, Zhao Jia-mi, as a green iguana owner, also supports the government's removal and registration management policy, but cannot accept the cruel killing and hunting methods used by some members of the public.

"The new law is being made to protect the ecology, to mend the fold after the sheep are lost, but species should not be stigmatized, hated or cruelly killed." She believes, "The green iguana itself is innocent - it was smuggled into Taiwan, China, and because of improper human management it became a harmful invasive species, but life itself is not guilty." Even for a life that is hated, removal should be carried out by public authorities.

Searching for green iguana videos online, many show people excitedly joining hunts with slingshots, bows and arrows, and gas guns, even skinning and then cooking and roasting them for food. Such behavior has exceeded the limits of humane removal and has sparked outcry from iguana lovers.

Before the November 30 deadline, if iguanas captured in the wild are posted to the "Iguana Alliance" community, the community will provide advice on keeping and caring for them. Sub-adult iguanas (8 months to 1 year old, equivalent to the adolescent stage) have a higher possibility of being tamed, and many enthusiasts are still willing to help with foster care and assist with registration and adoption.

However, after the end-of-November deadline, such rescue operations may conflict with the law, and whether the Alliance can continue rescuing iguanas in the future will be unknown.

Full regulation may drive the pet trade underground

The dinosaur craze sparked an iguana-keeping trend, "but once the craze passed, people found iguanas grew very large and abandoned them out of inconvenience." Partrick says people who kept iguanas for showing off are always fickle, but those who truly love iguanas naturally care for them quietly.

"Now because of the irresponsible behavior of a few, everyone must bear the consequences, and owners are willing to cooperate with registration. But the removal policy should not erase the value of life, nor should it stigmatize iguanas or their owners, causing oppression of a minority cultural community," Partrick says.

After November 30, green iguanas will be fully regulated, and unregistered green iguanas will be confiscated if found. Partrick believes, "Some owners will register, but some owners who are unwilling to register will go underground." He believes that the mindset of reptile enthusiasts is largely due to the government and animal protection groups only focusing on cats and dogs while long neglecting reptiles, and many owners would rather go underground than accept government regulation.

"The keeping culture already exists. People who want to keep them will continue to find ways to get iguanas to keep, refusing government regulation, so the iguana pet market will still exist," Partrick believes. With local governments lacking sufficient manpower to enforce the rules, the regulations will only become a formality.

Iguana enthusiast Xiao Ai suggests the government should set up foster and adoption centers for sub-adults from 8 months to 1 year old. "Through registration management, smuggling or private transactions can be curbed." She believes that if the future black market price of green iguanas is to be prevented from rising, only opening up adoption can end black market transactions and private breeding.

Scholar: Green iguanas with arrows and bleeding are commonly seen in the wild; urges that wildlife removal should be based on humane principles, professionalism and management

Chen Tian-xi, a professor at the Institute of Wildlife Conservation at National Pingtung University of Science and Technology who has long monitored green iguanas, believes that wild green iguanas are highly active, and even sub-adults or juveniles are not easy to tame, so he does not agree that an adoption system can solve the problem. He also says, "The wildlife black market has always existed and will not disappear because of an adoption system." He emphasizes that the new law's full ban on keeping after the end of November is mainly to restrain those