Gov. Ron DeSantis commented on Florida's recent green Iguana purge following a winter snap that left the cold-blooded reptiles stunned and immobilized while speaking during a press conference in the Florida Keys this week.
"The iguanas were falling from the trees like we've never seen before. We think that there were tens of thousands of iguanas who didn't make it to the other side of that storm," DeSantis said.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC), more than 5,000 invasive green iguanas were removed from Florida's ecosystem after the FWC announced that the public could remove and transport the reptile without a permit to select wildlife commission offices following the state's cold temperatures on Feb. 1 and 2.
Invasive species are non-native animals that threaten the environment. Another example of an invasive species is the Burmese python, although green iguanas are a bit more prevalent in backyards in most Florida neighborhoods.
"In other states, who may not know what goes on in South Florida, they're like, they're so cute. I'm like, if you live down there, they're pests, they're invasive. They eat things. They ruin things. And so we don't want iguanas taking over like they have," DeSantis said.
Gov. DeSantis also called the removal a "major setback" for the iguana population.
Iguanas can be removed from private property year-round. Although Florida's recent cold temperatures, which dipped into the 30's as far south as Miami, left the animals a bit easier for the everyday Floridian, as opposed to the large python.
However, Floridians cannot remove iguanas from property that is not theirs year-round without the explicit permission of the landowner.
"You do have a right to handle these iguanas yourself. You have a right to do that, protect your property, all that," DeSantis said. "But for people that weren't comfortable doing that, we had that - That was a major event that has dramatically reduced the population."
