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3d ago

Florida Eases Rules to Let Public Drop Off Cold-Stunned Green Iguanas Feb. 1-2

The order answers an extreme cold snap expected to immobilize iguanas across South Florida.

Many of us have heard of green iguanas freezing and falling out of trees. But there's a chance they're more tolerant of cold weather now than they were just four years ago. If that's the case, they could live farther north in Florida.
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Overview

  • FWC issued a temporary executive order allowing people to capture live, cold-stunned green iguanas without a permit and bring them to designated offices.
  • Drop-offs will be accepted Sunday, Feb. 1 from 9 a.m. to noon and Monday, Feb. 2 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Five FWC sites are designated in Marathon, Sunrise, Tequesta, Fort Myers, and Lakeland.
  • Collectors must use breathable sealed cloth sacks, secure them inside a second locked container labeled “prohibited reptiles,” wear protective clothing, and transport animals immediately.
  • Iguanas turned in will be humanely killed or transferred to permittees; traps are not allowed on FWC-managed lands, and while property owners may humanely kill iguanas year-round, possession normally requires a permit.