State’s rare freeze gives residents and visitors green light to collect stunned invasive iguanas

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Florida’s rare extreme freeze is providing a “unique opportunity” for citizensor visitorsto help remove a pesky invader from the Sunshine State, its wildlife agency said.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) issued an executive order Friday allowing people “to remove live,cold-stunned green iguanasfrom the wild without a permit.”

Under the provisions of the order, anyone can bring the cold-stunned iguanas to five designated FWC offices on Sunday and Monday, “no permit required, to be humanely killed or, in some cases, transferred to permittees for live animal sales.”

FLIGHTS GROUNDED AND EVENTS CANCELED AS DANGEROUS DEEP FREEZE GRIPS UNEXPECTED PARTS OF US

Iguanas are an invasive species in Florida that can, according to the FWC, “cause damage to residential and commercial landscape vegetation and are often considered a nuisance by property owners.”

However, when temperatures dip into the 40s or below, these cold-blooded reptiles lose the ability to move their muscles — they’ve been known to fall from trees, appearing dead.Yet they’re very much alive, just in a state of paralysis, or torpor.

A cold-stunned iguana is seen on pavement.

Cold-stunned iguanas may look dead, but they’re just in a state of shock.(Cristobal Herrera/South Florida Sun Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

South Florida was forecast to have its coldest temperatures since 2010 on Sunday morning,

“When collecting live, cold-stunned green iguanas for removal, members of the public should wear protective gloves, pants and long-sleeved shirts to protect themselves from potential scratches,” the FWC said in a news release announcing its executive order.

A man wearing a Mickey sweatshirt holds a cold-stunned iguana by its tail.

The FWC says residents can take advantage of Florida’s freeze by transporting cold-stunned green iguanas to one of its facilities, no permit required, to be euthanized.(Saul Martinez/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Residents were urged to transport captured iguanas to the FWC “immediately to limit the likelihood of the iguanas regaining their ability to move freely.”

“Iguanas can recover from cold-stunning more quickly than you might expect.”

“This is to both keep the iguanas from escaping into a new location and to prevent the iguanas from getting loose in your vehicleif they start to recover from torpor.”

Iguanas were first reported in South Florida in the 1960s and have thrived in the state’s warm climate, according to the FWC.

A green iguana enjoys fresh leafy greens.These reptiles have thrived in Florida’s generally warm climate. (iStock)

They also “breed like rabbits” and threatennative wildlife and plants, said Darcie Arahill, a Florida-based angler and content creator of Darcizzle Offshore YouTube videos that teach the art of fishing.

onelink.me/xLDS?pid=AppArticleLink&af_web_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.

com/category/great-outdoors/hunting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hunt and kill them, which is permitted in Florida.She’s harvested them and posted YouTube videos about how to cook them.

She said the tail is the “best part,” but the bigger the lizard, the more meat there is on the legs.

A common green iguana is seen on a palm tree in a Florida residential neighborhood.

Green iguanas are an invasive species that threaten Florida’s native wildlife and plants.(iStock)

She likes to boil iguana meat in water withpotatoes and carrots, almost like a stew, “to the point where the meat just falls off the bone.”

The FWC cautioned the public that anyone encountering a cold-stunned iguana “should never bring it into your home or building to warm up, and never put it into your vehicle unless specifically transporting [it] to the FWC” under the executive order.

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“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,” the FWC said.

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