{"id":653819,"date":"2025-02-17T14:05:19","date_gmt":"2025-02-17T11:05:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/taiwan-bounty-hunters-kill-invading-iguanas-as-numbers-soar\/"},"modified":"2025-02-17T14:05:19","modified_gmt":"2025-02-17T11:05:19","slug":"taiwan-bounty-hunters-kill-invading-iguanas-as-numbers-soar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/taiwan-bounty-hunters-kill-invading-iguanas-as-numbers-soar\/","title":{"rendered":"#Taiwan bounty hunters kill invading iguanas as numbers soar"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3dbe2098b2c\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3dbe2098b2c\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/taiwan-bounty-hunters-kill-invading-iguanas-as-numbers-soar\/#%E2%80%98A_perfect_storm\" >&#8216;A perfect storm&#8217;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/taiwan-bounty-hunters-kill-invading-iguanas-as-numbers-soar\/#%E2%80%98They_move_very_fast\" >&#8216;They move very fast&#8217;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/taiwan-bounty-hunters-kill-invading-iguanas-as-numbers-soar\/#%E2%80%98Minimize_suffering\" >&#8216;Minimize suffering&#8217;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/a-hunter-holds-a-captu.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/a-hunter-holds-a-captu.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"A hunter holds a captured iguana in Pingtung, Taiwan. The iguana population has exploded since the spikey-backed giant lizards were introduced from Central and South America more than 20 years ago as exotic pets.\">\n<figure class=\"article-img\">\n            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/a-hunter-holds-a-captu.jpg\" alt=\"A hunter holds a captured iguana in Pingtung, Taiwan. The iguana population has exploded since the spikey-backed giant lizards were introduced from Central and South America more than 20 years ago as exotic pets\" title=\"A hunter holds a captured iguana in Pingtung, Taiwan. The iguana population has exploded since the spikey-backed giant lizards were introduced from Central and South America more than 20 years ago as exotic pets.\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up text-truncate-js text-truncate mt-3\">\n                A hunter holds a captured iguana in Pingtung, Taiwan. The iguana population has exploded since the spikey-backed giant lizards were introduced from Central and South America more than 20 years ago as exotic pets.<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Armed with a slingshot, Taiwanese bounty hunter Wu Cheng-hua bends sideways and aims his lethal weapon up at a green iguana, one of tens of thousands in the crosshairs of a government cull.<\/p>\n<p>Taiwan&#8217;s iguana population has exploded since the spikey-backed giant lizards were introduced from Central and South America more than 20 years ago as exotic pets.<\/p>\n<p>Many escaped, or were dumped, and have bred rapidly in the warm climate of the island&#8217;s south, invading neighborhoods and ravaging farmers&#8217; crops.<\/p>\n<p>After Wu finishes his shift at a breakfast eatery, he joins a group of hunters hired by the Pingtung County government, which pays up to NT$500 (US$15) per iguana.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Sometimes we&#8217;ve been lucky and caught 300 iguanas in a day,&#8221; Wu, 25, told AFP.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Sometimes we were not so lucky and caught two, three or a dozen.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Carrying harpoon slingshots used for spearfishing and wearing rubber boots, the hunters crane their necks as they scan the thick forest for iguanas, which live in the canopy.<\/p>\n<p>There are more misses than hits as the men fire their stainless steel darts at the prehistoric-looking creatures high up in the trees and shielded by leaves and branches.<\/p>\n<p>AFP journalists watch as an iguana plunges several meters to the ground and runs for its life. Another is shot multiple times before it is pulled out of the tree still alive.<\/p>\n<p>The men bind the legs of the captured iguanas to stop them escaping and leave them on the ground as they carry on hunting.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/farmer-hsin-tseng-kuan.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/farmer-hsin-tseng-kuan.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Farmer Hsin Tseng-kuan perfects her capturing technique on a stuffed toy iguana during a training session on humane culling methods.\">\n<figure class=\"article-img text-center\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/farmer-hsin-tseng-kuan.jpg\" alt=\"Farmer Hsin Tseng-kuan perfects her capturing technique on a stuffed toy iguana during a training session on humane culling methods\" title=\"Farmer Hsin Tseng-kuan perfects her capturing technique on a stuffed toy iguana during a training session on humane culling methods.\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-left text-darken text-truncate text-low-up mt-3\">\n                Farmer Hsin Tseng-kuan perfects her capturing technique on a stuffed toy iguana during a training session on humane culling methods.<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%98A_perfect_storm\"><\/span>&#8216;A perfect storm&#8217;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Taiwan began culling iguanas nearly 10 years ago and this year&#8217;s target has been set at more than 100,000.<\/p>\n<p>Experts and government officials say the effort is unlikely to eradicate the reptiles, which have also become pests in other countries, including the United States.<\/p>\n<p>Some estimates put Taiwan&#8217;s green iguana population at 200,000. A female iguana breeds once a year, laying dozens of eggs at a time.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Climate anomalies&#8221; have fueled iguana numbers in recent years, said Chen Tien-hsi, a wildlife expert at the National Pingtung University of <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Science<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>A lack of seasonal rain and unusually warm winters have increased hatching and survival rates of the young, which Chen said had created &#8220;a perfect storm for explosive population growth&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>Pingtung County has ramped up its iguana cull from a few hundred a year in the beginning to 48,000 last year, Agriculture Department director-<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a> Cheng Yung-yu said.<\/p>\n<p>But Cheng said more effective &#8220;removal strategies&#8221; were needed.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Despite significant manpower and resources being spent on their removal annually, their population continues to grow almost exponentially,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/an-iguana-falls-from-a.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/an-iguana-falls-from-a.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"An iguana falls from a tree after being shot by hunters.\">\n<figure class=\"article-img text-center\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/an-iguana-falls-from-a.jpg\" alt=\"An iguana falls from a tree after being shot by hunters\" title=\"An iguana falls from a tree after being shot by hunters.\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-left text-darken text-truncate text-low-up mt-3\">\n                An iguana falls from a tree after being shot by hunters.<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%98They_move_very_fast\"><\/span>&#8216;They move very fast&#8217;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Local farmer Cheng Hui-jung has watched iguanas decimate her family&#8217;s red bean crop, even after they installed fishing nets to protect their fields from the herbivores.<\/p>\n<p>The iguanas live in the dense bamboo growing between her land and a river, and come down during the day to feast on the red bean shoots.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;They move very fast and we couldn&#8217;t catch them,&#8221; Cheng told AFP, who worries some farmers will resort to cutting down the trees or give up planting crops altogether.<\/p>\n<p>Regular people are being encouraged to get involved in the iguana cull.<\/p>\n<p>Hsin Tseng-kuan said she was scared the first time she encountered an iguana on her farm and resolved to learn how to catch them.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;They&#8217;re not even afraid of people,&#8221; said Hsin, 58, one of more than 80 people taking part in a government training session where they are shown how to use a snare pole to lasso a soft toy iguana.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;When we first saw one, we were the ones who were scared,&#8221; Hsin told AFP.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It really looked like a small dinosaur.&#8221;<\/p>\n<ul class=\"article-gallery js-article-gallery\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/hunter-wu-cheng-hua-ai.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/hunter-wu-cheng-hua-ai.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Hunter Wu Cheng-hua aims his slingshot at an iguana in a tree in Pingtung.\">\n<figure class=\"article-img text-center\">\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800\/2025\/hunter-wu-cheng-hua-ai.jpg\" alt=\"Hunter Wu Cheng-hua aims his slingshot at an iguana in a tree in Pingtung\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-left text-darken text-low-up text-truncate mt-3\">\n                    Hunter Wu Cheng-hua aims his slingshot at an iguana in a tree in Pingtung.<br \/>\n                <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/captured-iguanas-laid.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/captured-iguanas-laid.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Captured iguanas laid out after a hunt in Pingtung.\">\n<figure class=\"article-img text-center\">\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800\/2025\/captured-iguanas-laid.jpg\" alt=\"Captured iguanas laid out after a hunt in Pingtung\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-left text-darken text-low-up text-truncate mt-3\">\n                    Captured iguanas laid out after a hunt in Pingtung.<br \/>\n                <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"ads w-100 my-4 article-main__more bg-light p-3 border\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-3\">\n        Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over <strong>100,000 subscribers<\/strong> who rely on Phys.org for daily insights.<br \/>\n        Sign up for our <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sciencex.com\/help\/newsletter\/\" target=\"_blank\">free newsletter<\/a> and get updates on breakthroughs,<br \/>\n        innovations, and research that matter\u2014<strong>daily or weekly<\/strong>.\n    <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%98Minimize_suffering\"><\/span>&#8216;Minimize suffering&#8217;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Animal rights group PETA has urged Taiwan to find &#8220;non-lethal strategies&#8221; for controlling its iguana population or, if culling was deemed necessary, to &#8220;minimize suffering&#8221; of the creatures.<\/p>\n<p>Several hunters told AFP they would be able to kill more efficiently and humanely if they were allowed to use air guns, the use of which is tightly controlled in Taiwan.<\/p>\n<p>Wu and his colleagues end their hunt in the early evening after catching 14 iguanas in three hours.<\/p>\n<p>The reptiles\u2014some of them alive and bloodied\u2014are laid on the ground before being tossed into a plastic box.<\/p>\n<p>Hunters are required to euthanize the iguanas and keep them in a freezer until they can be incinerated by the government.<\/p>\n<p>While hunting was physically harder than his cooking job, Wu said he liked helping farmers protect their crops.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Otherwise, everything they grow will be eaten up,&#8221; Wu said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It is very sad to see them like this.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-main__note mt-4\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  \u00a9 2025 AFP\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- print only --><\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none d-print-block\">\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<strong>Citation<\/strong>:<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTaiwan bounty hunters kill invading iguanas as numbers soar (2025, February 17)<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tretrieved 17 February 2025<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfrom https:\/\/phys.org\/<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>\/2025-02-taiwan-bounty-hunters-invading-iguanas.html\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script id=\"facebook-jssdk\" async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/category\/sciencee\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Science category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2025-02-taiwan-bounty-hunters-invading-iguanas.html\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A hunter holds a captured iguana in Pingtung, Taiwan. The iguana population has exploded since the spikey-backed giant lizards were introduced from Central and South America more than 20 years ago as exotic pets. Armed with a slingshot, Taiwanese bounty hunter Wu Cheng-hua bends sideways and aims his lethal weapon up at a green iguana,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":653820,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/a-hunter-holds-a-captu.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-653819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sciencee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/653819","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=653819"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/653819\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/653820"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=653819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=653819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=653819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}