KAOHSIUNG (TVBS News) — The Kaohsiung City Government's Agriculture Bureau (高雄市農業局) will launch its first green iguana (綠鬣蜥) capture training session on Monday (Dec. 30) to address the invasive species' growing problem. The bureau opened online registration for the training session at 9 a.m. Thursday (Dec. 26), and within five minutes, the 100 available spots filled up.
In Renwu District (仁武區), a local resident successfully captured a green iguana using a homemade fishing rod, jokingly referring to it as an early start to a "civilian dragon-hunting program." The green iguana, an exotic reptile species, has become an invasive population due to human abandonment. It poses an ecological threat as it has no natural predators in the wild and reproduces rapidly.
The Agriculture Bureau reported that they have removed 5,052 iguanas in 2022, 5,449 in 2023, and 6,332 so far in 2024. The main hotspots for green iguana sightings are along the banks of Gaoping River (高屏溪), Fengshan River (鳳山溪), Tsaogung Canal (曹公圳), and Shilong River (獅龍溪).
With the upcoming training session, the bureau aims to equip more residents with the skills to help manage the iguana population. As the situation evolves, further measures may be necessary to protect the local ecosystem from the ongoing threat posed by these reptiles.