Over 5,000 iguanas captured after new FWC executive order

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) announced on Wednesday that over 5,000 invasive green iguanas have been removed from Florida's ecosystems after it issued an executive order allowing the removal of cold-stunned iguanas.

Executive Order 26-03, issued on Jan. 30, allowed people to remove live, cold-stunned iguanas from the wild without a permit and turn them into select offices from Feb. 1-2. They are no longer accepting live green iguanas as of Monday.

In total, FWC says that 5,195 live iguanas were collected. Here's how many were collected at each location:

• Sunrise: 3,882
• Tequesta: 1,075
• Marathon: 215
• Fort Myers: 23

FWC says that invasive iguanas are not protected in Florida except by state anti-cruelty laws, and members of the public can humanely kill green iguanas year-round on their property or with landowner permission.

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