For $63,000, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission contracted 15 scientists from the University of Florida to bash the skulls of iguana at night. The researcher does not just kill, they were tasked to develop a set of best practices to kill the big lizards for three months.
The best method is to bash the head of the iguana. But some also use a captive bolt gun to destroy the brains of the critter, Live Science reported. Some scientists dash instead the head of the animal against the sides of a solid object such as trucks or boats.
Jenny Ketterlin, a University of Florida wildlife biologist, said that crushing the creature's head against solid objects is the most humane way to kill the iguanas. It is mostly blunt force trauma, The New York Post reported. Death is instantaneous because of the destruction of the animal's brain. No pain is felt by the iguana, Frank Mazzotti, a wildlife ecology professor at the University of Florida, said.
It is part of a research project being conducted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Mazzotti stressed that the killing methods they use are in line with regulations that various bodies have established, including the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Other recommended methods were to use nets, cage traps, and noose poles. People are allowed to kill an iguana with just one blow. If more than one blow is made, the person could be charged with animal cruelty which is punishable by a prison term and fine of up to $5,000, according to Ron Magill, an animal ambassador for Zoo Miami.
Invasive species
The commission said that because the iguanas tend to colonize the man-made canals, it caused the accidental proliferation aid for the iguanas that traverse the waters of Florida suburbia. Their density along the water management areas made the iguanas more of a nuisance and required mass removals, The Washington Post reported.
The decision to cull the iguanas came because the animal that is native to South America is an invasive species in Florida. The large lizard likely arrived through the pet trade. Besides indirectly contributing to soil erosion, the iguana feeds on local plants and wildlife.
The team initially set out traps, but it only captured raccoons, so they changed tactics and opted for the more gruesome method of head bashing. It is considered more humane than simply chopping the heads of the lizards off. The teams, which operate as a pair, sneak up on the iguanas at night and bash their heads.
So far, the project has killed 249 iguanas. A local veterinarian suggested sedating and euthanizing the iguanas instead, while a resident of Boynton Beach who admitted to killing more than 100 iguanas using his pellet gun to protect his landscape said he is a bit uncomfortable with the head-bashing technique used by the scientists.
The project, which will run through May, includes weighing and measuring the carcasses before the animal is disposed properly at an authorized landfill.
Arrival as pets
The Sun Sentinel reported that the iguanas arrived in Florida as pets in 1966. It first appeared in the Miami-Dade County, followed by the Keys in 1995. In 2001, the animal made Broward County their home and expanded to include Palm Beach in 2003. Mazzotti said the total population of the invasive species is unknown, but the animal is known for laying dozens of eggs at once.
Since Florida is known for its dense trees and fruit, the iguanas are attracted to the lush land. But the lizard destroys the landscape vegetation and their burrowing speeds up erosion. It leads to the collapse of sidewalks, foundations, and canal banks.
The iguanas also transmit salmonella to humans when they come in contact with water tainted by the poop of the lizard, such as swimming pools.
Scientific American noted that the Green Iguana is typically imagined as an uninspiring lizard that sits around on tree branches all day long. It appears to occasionally munch on greens and sit on a water bowl. However, the website cited field studies done more than 30 years ago that found remarkable and complex social behavior in the animal.
During the breeding season, the males choose exposed arboreal display sites by deliberately picking trees that are dead or sparsely populated. To tell other animals that it owns the territory, the Green Iguana does a lot of head-bobbing and displaying of its large dewlap. It patrols the territory by moving from perch to perch while head-bobbing with each change of perch.
During the territorial breeding phase, the males go without eating to divert its energy into changing its appearance. The iguana changes color from greenish to orangish and increases the size of its jowls. It also chases off rival males then woos and mates with females. After mating, the males stay close to the females as a form of post-copulatory guarding to prevent the female from mating with another male and prevent sperm competition inside the female's body.
[researchpaper 리서치페이퍼= Vittorio Hernandez 기자]