FL Press: Day of the iguana

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Posted by Wes von Papine�u on February 26, 2002 at 14:30:30:

MIAMI HERALD (Florida) 26 February 02 Day of the iguana - Thousands of the scaly creatures are on the loose, eating their way through our woods and wetlands (Georgia Tasker)
It's the invasion of the green iguanas -- and, no, this isn't science fiction. Thousands of scaly, spiky, orange-legged reptiles are on the loose and on the lam, breeding and eating their way through the thickets and the gardens of our little paradise.
They're destroying plants, eating endangered plant species and some -- the spiny tail iguanas -- are devouring the eggs and hatchlings of water fowl.
How did they get here?
When iguanas are newborn, they're eight or 10 inches long, bright green and cute for reptiles, says Miami herpetologist Joe Wasilewski. Imported as pets, thousands arrive in this country every year, though only 90 percent to 95 percent of those live beyond the first year because people don't know how to care for them, says AJ Gutman, an iguana rescuer in Connecticut who is secretary of the International Iguana Society. A survey in 2000 by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association found nine million reptiles in 3.9 million American homes. Of those that survive year one, Gutman said, half will live an additional five years. But when they become sexually mature at age 3 or 4 -- and hormones run like rivers through the males each spring -- they can be peevish and snappish. When full-grown, they can reach five or six feet long.
That's when they are turned out into the wild by their pet owners -- and turn up in Fairchild Tropical Garden and Crandon Park, Greynolds Park in North Miami and Castellow Hammock in South Dade. The state's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission puts the escapees in three counties: Miami-Dade, Monroe and Lee.
THEY'RE EVERYWHERE
''They're on the golf course, at the marina, in the median strip, certainly in the botanical garden and even in the preserve,'' said Jim King, Miami-Dade Parks' interpretive nature coordinator at Crandon. ``A thousand would probably be a conservative number.''
At Fairchild, chief horticulturist Don Evans estimates ''thousands'' of iguanas have taken up residence in the past few years, while director Julia Kornegay is more conservative: ``Hundreds.''
Castellow Hammock director and naturalist Roger Hammer has caught one at Castellow, just north of Homestead, and he saw a five-foot iguana at Owassa Bauer Hammock, near Krome Avenue in south Miami-Dade. ''They're pretty widespread,'' he said.
Wasilewski, president of the International Iguana Society, says, ``We see them on Big Pine Key and in the Everglades. They may be here to stay.''
They come out of the trees in the morning and warm up in the sun. Then they begin to eat tender leaves, grass, and flowers. At midday, they may seek shelter from the sun in mangroves or seagrape trees, climb onto a branch and doze. Females lay eggs once a year in sandy soil -- and can have up to 60 eggs in a nest.
At Fairchild, iguanas have destroyed two mature cecropia trees, which are their favorite food. They've also destroyed the garden's hibiscus collection near the lowlands, where they hang out. And they munch any tender new tree or shrub, endangered or not.
Evans has come up with an iguana-deterrent that's not unlike a squirrel collar. He turns plastic pots upside down and wraps them around susceptible small tree trunks to keep the reptiles from climbing into fragile canopies. Not only do iguanas eat leaves and flowers, he says, they can weigh up to 18 pounds and thus break branches and trunks.
At Crandon, King says, ``Every time our flowering trees come into flower, the yellow tabebuias and pink tabs and the hibiscus, the flowers are devoured by the green iguanas.''
Crandon Park also has a population of spiny tail iguanas, which are darker than the vegetarian green iguanas and pose more danger to nature's other creatures. ''The spiny tail iguanas feed on other lizards and are a threat to the water fowl,'' King said. ``They eat the eggs, the young ducklings, and the cygnets [baby swans].''
Yet, people love them.
LOVABLE NUISANCE
''That's one of our problems,'' says King. ``While they're a nuisance . . . people love to see them. Even when you approach them in the tree canopies, they jump out into the water -- and it creates quite a sensation. They have the same kind of fascination for people as alligators.''
Iguanas range naturally throughout South and Central America and up into central Mexico. Pet stores import them, and when people turn them loose, they take to South Florida's near-tropical climate like nearly everyone else.
This season's warmer-than-usual winter has aggravated the problem. If the temperature gets into the 40s or below, their bodies shut down and they die, Wasilewski said. ''Below 40, they're history,'' he says.
Even in a freeze, a few will survive. Kenneth Krysko, a herpetologist with the University of Florida's Natural History Museum, is taking a survey this week of the lizards in Crandon Park.
''There's basically no way to ever get rid of them all,'' Krysko said. ``So we'll try to control the numbers. We won't shoot them; we'll do hand-collecting.''
NOW WHAT?
But no one is sure what to do with them, as it is illegal to release anything not native.
''The non-native fauna now outnumber the native fauna,'' he says. `` We've been doing fieldwork on it since 1995. It's overwhelming the number of introduced species we come across.''
The International Iguana Society is trying to protect those on several Caribbean islands, where their habitat is almost gone and the animals are still being cooked for dinner.
''If we trap them, what do we do with them?'' asks King. ``What we really need is a good cold spell.''

Day of the iguana

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: MIAMI HERALD (Florida) 26 February 02 Day of the iguana - Thousands of the scaly creatures are on the loose, eating their way through our woods and wetlands (Georgia Tasker) : It's the invasion of the green iguanas -- and, no, this isn't science fiction. Thousands of scaly, spiky, orange-legged reptiles are on the loose and on the lam, breeding and eating their way through the thickets and the gardens of our little paradise. : They're destroying plants, eating endangered plant species and some -- the spiny tail iguanas -- are devouring the eggs and hatchlings of water fowl. : How did they get here? : When iguanas are newborn, they're eight or 10 inches long, bright green and cute for reptiles, says Miami herpetologist Joe Wasilewski. Imported as pets, thousands arrive in this country every year, though only 90 percent to 95 percent of those live beyond the first year because people don't know how to care for them, says AJ Gutman, an iguana rescuer in Connecticut who is secretary of the International Iguana Society. A survey in 2000 by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association found nine million reptiles in 3.9 million American homes. Of those that survive year one, Gutman said, half will live an additional five years. But when they become sexually mature at age 3 or 4 -- and hormones run like rivers through the males each spring -- they can be peevish and snappish. When full-grown, they can reach five or six feet long. : That's when they are turned out into the wild by their pet owners -- and turn up in Fairchild Tropical Garden and Crandon Park, Greynolds Park in North Miami and Castellow Hammock in South Dade. The state's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission puts the escapees in three counties: Miami-Dade, Monroe and Lee. : THEY'RE EVERYWHERE : ''They're on the golf course, at the marina, in the median strip, certainly in the botanical garden and even in the preserve,'' said Jim King, Miami-Dade Parks' interpretive nature coordinator at Crandon. ``A thousand would probably be a conservative number.'' : At Fairchild, chief horticulturist Don Evans estimates ''thousands'' of iguanas have taken up residence in the past few years, while director Julia Kornegay is more conservative: ``Hundreds.'' : Castellow Hammock director and naturalist Roger Hammer has caught one at Castellow, just north of Homestead, and he saw a five-foot iguana at Owassa Bauer Hammock, near Krome Avenue in south Miami-Dade. ''They're pretty widespread,'' he said. : Wasilewski, president of the International Iguana Society, says, ``We see them on Big Pine Key and in the Everglades. They may be here to stay.'' : They come out of the trees in the morning and warm up in the sun. Then they begin to eat tender leaves, grass, and flowers. At midday, they may seek shelter from the sun in mangroves or seagrape trees, climb onto a branch and doze. Females lay eggs once a year in sandy soil -- and can have up to 60 eggs in a nest. : At Fairchild, iguanas have destroyed two mature cecropia trees, which are their favorite food. They've also destroyed the garden's hibiscus collection near the lowlands, where they hang out. And they munch any tender new tree or shrub, endangered or not. : Evans has come up with an iguana-deterrent that's not unlike a squirrel collar. He turns plastic pots upside down and wraps them around susceptible small tree trunks to keep the reptiles from climbing into fragile canopies. Not only do iguanas eat leaves and flowers, he says, they can weigh up to 18 pounds and thus break branches and trunks. : At Crandon, King says, ``Every time our flowering trees come into flower, the yellow tabebuias and pink tabs and the hibiscus, the flowers are devoured by the green iguanas.'' : Crandon Park also has a population of spiny tail iguanas, which are darker than the vegetarian green iguanas and pose more danger to nature's other creatures. ''The spiny tail iguanas feed on other lizards and are a threat to the water fowl,'' King said. ``They eat the eggs, the young ducklings, and the cygnets [baby swans].'' : Yet, people love them. : LOVABLE NUISANCE : ''That's one of our problems,'' says King. ``While they're a nuisance . . . people love to see them. Even when you approach them in the tree canopies, they jump out into the water -- and it creates quite a sensation. They have the same kind of fascination for people as alligators.'' : Iguanas range naturally throughout South and Central America and up into central Mexico. Pet stores import them, and when people turn them loose, they take to South Florida's near-tropical climate like nearly everyone else. : This season's warmer-than-usual winter has aggravated the problem. If the temperature gets into the 40s or below, their bodies shut down and they die, Wasilewski said. ''Below 40, they're history,'' he says. : Even in a freeze, a few will survive. Kenneth Krysko, a herpetologist with the University of Florida's Natural History Museum, is taking a survey this week of the lizards in Crandon Park. : ''There's basically no way to ever get rid of them all,'' Krysko said. ``So we'll try to control the numbers. We won't shoot them; we'll do hand-collecting.'' : NOW WHAT? : But no one is sure what to do with them, as it is illegal to release anything not native. : ''The non-native fauna now outnumber the native fauna,'' he says. `` We've been doing fieldwork on it since 1995. It's overwhelming the number of introduced species we come across.'' : The International Iguana Society is trying to protect those on several Caribbean islands, where their habitat is almost gone and the animals are still being cooked for dinner. : ''If we trap them, what do we do with them?'' asks King. ``What we really need is a good cold spell.'' :

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