As South Florida braces for some of the coldest temperatures in 16 years, the potential for coming across a cold-stunned iguana increases.
With that in mind, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) issued an executive order that will "temporarily allow people to remove live, cold-stunned green iguanas from the wild without a permit and bring them directly to five designated FWC offices."
On Feb. 1 from 9 a.m. to noon, and Feb. 2 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., people can drop off cold-stunned iguanas at the following locations:
- FWC South Florida Regional Lab, 2796 Overseas Highway 119, Marathon, FL 33050
- FWC Office, 10052 NW 53rd Street , Sunrise, FL 33351
- FWC Tequesta Field Lab, 19100 SE Federal Highway (US 1), Tequesta, FL 33469
- FWC Law Enforcement Office, 2423 Edwards Drive, Fort Myers, FL 33901
- FWC Southwest Regional Office, 3900 Drane Field Road, Lakeland, FL 33811
Florida law classifies iguanas as a non-native species, and relocating or releasing them is considered illegal. As experts explain, moving a frozen iguana or attempting to warm it up could interfere with its natural recovery process.
However, with freezing temperatures forecast for multiple days, FWC says the executive order "provides people wishing to remove green iguanas from their property — but unable to safely or humanely kill iguanas themselves — the opportunity to remove them during this unusual, sustained cold weather event and bring them to the FWC."
FWC is also urging caution: "Iguanas can recover from cold-stunning more quickly than you might expect and, once recovered, can act defensively, with long tails that whip and sharp teeth and claws."
They advise people to wear protective gloves, pants and long-sleeved shirts to protect themselves. Iguanas must be contained in a secure, escape-proof cloth sack or bag that can be securely closed. They ask residents to transport the iguanas immediately once found.
