Who keeps iguanas? Owner community heartache pet becomes prey, in favor of humane removal but appeal not to kill

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Green iguanas have become public enemies in southern taiwan. The government recently announced amendments to the law to classify green iguanas as "harmful alien species" and remove wild populations for humane treatment. Green iguanas kept at home will also be fully registered and kept in custody. If they are not kept in custody, they will be fined and confiscated.

Green iguanas also have a group of domestic enthusiasts who support the government's humane removal policy, but the indiscriminate killing and consumption of green iguanas also makes iguanas enthusiasts sad. They called for respect for life, respect for multiculturalism, removal of policies not to become animal cruelty, and they expected the government to establish an adoption system to leave a window for innocent lives.

Public opinion often points the finger at the abandonment of green iguanas by their owners. However, Chen Tien-hsi, a scholar who has been monitoring green iguanas for a long time, has found that many wild iguanas have breeding grounds or exhibition grounds near their sources. The main reason for the outflow of iguanas should be the actions of the operators, not the abandonment of individual owners."The number of abandoned iguanas is not enough to evolve into wild groups," he adds.

He also criticized the demonization of green iguanas, let alone arbitrary hunting. He said that removing exotic species should be based on humanity, professionalism and management, but at present, local agricultural authorities reward people for hunting, and even turn into killing, which is already wrong behavior.

As far as pet owners are concerned, green iguanas exist in the pet market and have certain fans. If they are suppressed, they will only go underground. It is better to adopt effective management. (Photo/Lin Jiyang) The deadline at the end of November, after which it is illegal to keep, possess and breed without registration.

30 years ago, the movie Jurassic triggered a dinosaur craze. The industry introduced green iguanas from Central and South America to Taiwan. Unexpectedly, some green iguanas escaped. Due to their strong reproductive ability, they adapted well in the wild in Taiwan and their population exploded. Now the iguanas have become an ecological hazard, causing damage to crops and bridge levees.

On August 16 last year (2019), according to Article 31 of the Wildlife Law, the Agricultural Committee announced that the American green iguana was "a wild animal of the original non-native species of our country that is harmful to the ecological environment." On August 20 this year, the announcement was revised again. Except for variant species (artificially bred albino species or other colors, poor environmental adaptability), the owners of other primary color green iguanas should register with the county and city governments before November 30. If they fail to register within the time limit and raise or hold them, they will be fined 10,000 - 50,000 yuan and confiscated.

Green iguanas have become public enemies because of their image of destroying the environment, and even local governments have encouraged people to hunt them themselves, resulting in a wave of green iguanas hunting among the people. Many videos can be found on the Internet. People hunt green iguanas with slingshots, gas guns and harpoons, and even skin them and cook them for food. In this way, they advocate killing pests for the people and protecting the environment.

These hunting behaviors, which seem to protect the environment, are painful in the eyes of iguana lovers. They then launched their own rescue operations, opening up adoption and registration rescue networks within the community, which also unexpectedly attracted attention to this group of iguana lovers 'community.

Mrs. Lin said she was always saddened to see Long (her nickname for iguanas) killed and skinned on TV and wished the iguanas could be handled in a more humane way. (Photo/Lin Jiyang) Cold-blooded animals meet lovers. Why do green iguanas love them?

"Many people love reptiles because they love dinosaurs," said Partrick, moderator of the online community Iguana Alliance, which currently has about 3000 members."Green iguana is the closest thing to dinosaur appearance, and iguana breeders become a subcultural community." Interestingly, Partrick estimates that more than half of the owners of green iguanas are female.

Zhao Jiami, another moderator of the "Iguana Alliance," also provides shelter for iguanas halfway. She said that green iguanas are fierce and aggressive in the general impression, but are actually tame vegetarians."Iguanas have IQ of about 3~4 years old. After domestication, they will recognize their owners and can also train them to go to the toilet. They love cleanliness." It doesn't shed hair, has a light leather smell, is quiet and non-sticky, and is perfect for the hassle-free home worker.

Chao Chia-mi, who works in the art industry, observes that most people who raise iguanas are dinosaur lovers."Green iguanas have a unique aesthetic sense. Under their beautiful appearance, they maintain their independent personality. Looking at them often gives them a lot of inspiration, attracting many designers and artists to raise them." She said that many independent caseworkers need to focus for a long time and don't want to be disturbed. Reptiles don't need sticky company.

She describes the iguanas as training like dogs, but their personalities are cat-like and their relationship with their owners is like roommates. "The iguana may stay quiet all day, motionless and not very attentive. But in winter, when it gets cold or unfamiliar, they cling to their owners for warmth or protection." And everyone worried about aggression, she thinks,"animals with teeth will bite, but after domestication and companionship, can find a way to get along with people pet."

Many owners of green iguanas are in the design and art industries, like leather or dinosaurs, especially women, who believe that iguanas have a unique aesthetic. (Photo/Lin Jiyang) Former darling has become a public enemy of the whole people. Fans: Arbitrary killing is unfair to animals.

Now that the iguana is regarded as a public enemy and is being severely criticized, Chao Chia-mi, as an owner of the iguana, supports the government's policy of removing and registering it. However, he does not agree with the methods used by some people to kill and hunt iguana.

"The new law is now enacted to protect the ecology and make up for it, but it should not stigmatize species or hate or kill them." She believes that "green iguanas themselves are innocent, smuggled into Taiwan, and because of human mismanagement, they have become alien endangered species, but life itself is not guilty." Even hostile life should be removed by public power.

Searching for green iguana videos on the Internet, many people take slingshots, bows and arrows, gas guns to join the hunt excitedly, and even cook and roast them after peeling them. Such behavior has exceeded the limit of humane removal, causing iguana lovers to complain.

If iguanas caught in the wild are passed to the iguana alliance community by the november 30 deadline, the community will provide advice on breeding and care methods. In particular, sub-adult iguanas (8 months to 1 year old, equivalent to juvenile stage) have a high possibility of domestication, and many enthusiasts are still willing to assist in the care and registration of adoption.

However, after the deadline at the end of November, such rescue operations may violate the law, and it is uncertain whether the future alliance will continue to rescue iguanas.

It is easy to find videos of people hunting and even eating green iguanas on the Internet. (Source network screenshot) Comprehensive management of fear of turning breeding transactions underground

Dinosaur craze triggered a wave of iguana breeding,"but after the craze, found that iguana grow very big, too troublesome to abandon." Partrick says people who keep iguanas for show tend to love the new and hate the old, but those who really like iguanas tend to care for them quietly.

"Today, because of a small number of irresponsible behaviors, everyone must bear the responsibility, and the owner is willing to cooperate with registration." But removal policies should not obliterate the value of life, nor stigmatize iguanas or their owners, resulting in oppression of minority cultural communities." Partrick said.

After November 30, green iguanas will be fully listed and unregistered green iguanas will be confiscated. Partrick believes that "some owners will register, but some owners who are unwilling to register will go underground." He believes that a large part of the reason for the state of mind of reptile lovers is that the government and animal protection groups only pay attention to cats and dogs, and have long neglected reptiles. Many pet owners prefer to go underground rather than accept government control.

"The breeding culture already exists, and would-be owners will continue to find ways to raise iguanas and refuse to be taken into government custody, so that the pet market for iguanas will still exist." Partrick argues that regulations become mere formality when local governments lack sufficient manpower to enforce them.

Ai, an iguana enthusiast, suggested that the government should set up a halfway adoption center for sub-adults aged 8 months to 1 year old,"through registration management, to curb smuggling or private trade." She believes that if we want to prevent the black market price of green iguanas from rising in the future, only by opening up adoption can we stop the black market trade and private breeding.

Green iguanas caught in the wild. (Provided by the Forestry Bureau) Scholar: Common arrow bleeding green iguana in the wild, urging removal of wild animals on humanitarian, professional and management grounds

Chen Tien-hsi, a professor at Pingtung University of Science and Technology who has been monitoring green iguanas for a long time, believes that wild green iguanas are very active, and even sub-adults or young iguanas are difficult to domesticate. Therefore, he does not believe that adoption can solve the problem. He also said that "the wildlife black market has always existed and will not disappear because of the adoption system." He stressed that the new law will be completely banned after the end of November, mainly to restrict the