In Puerto Rico, there are literally more iguanas than people.
They outnumber them 4 million to 3.9 million.
The secretary of their Department of Natural Resources said:
“This is a very big problem. We have to attack it. It has impacted structures, the economy, crops and the ecosystem.”
The iguana can grow up to 6 feet and live up to 20 years!!
That’s crazy.
It started in the 1970s when iguana owners started to realize their ‘too large’ lizards and now their population has exploded.
They occupy airport runways, burrow under buildings (ruining the foundation) and cause blackouts after building their nests near the warmth of electric plants.
So they plan to hunt the iguanas and export their meat.
Many government high ups in Puerto Rico believe this will not only thin out the population, it will bring in much needed money to the country, currently in a recession.
We don’t think killing is the answer. Hopefully conservationists will find a humane way to deal with the problem.
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