Free Iguana News: Florida of America is known as ‘Sunshine State’. That is, a place where the sun is always shining. But, this year’s weather has brought a different kind of disaster. This remains a strange puzzle and problem for meteorologists and common people. Actually, it is extremely cold in the eastern part of America. The worst effect of this harsh winter was on the Green Iguanas living there. Due to the severe cold, these ‘cold blooded’ reptiles have frozen and are dripping heavily from the trees.

The situation has become such that these giant lizard species, frozen due to cold, have started falling down from the trees like fruits. During this time, Florida wildlife officials took a big step and collected a total of 5,195 frozen iguanas and euthanized them. Let us understand from the viewpoint of science why this happened and why it became necessary to kill these creatures.

Why do iguanas ‘freeze’?

To understand this phenomenon, we have to understand the physical structure of these organisms. Humans and other mammals are ‘warm-blooded’, which means our bodies can produce their own heat. Can control temperature. But, reptiles like iguana and snakes are ‘cold-blooded’ (sheet-blooded) creatures. In simple language, their body cannot produce its own heat. They depend on the external environment to keep their body warm. When the temperature drops below 50 degrees Fahrenheit (about 10 degrees Celsius), their body starts becoming sluggish.

Florida is struggling with severe cold

This time the cold has increased so much in Florida that the temperature in Miami has dropped to 35 degrees Fahrenheit. In such cold, all the processes of the iguana’s body slowed down. He became ‘cold-stunned’. This means that they could neither move nor maintain their grip on the branches of the trees. The result was that they started falling from the trees to the ground in an unconscious state. Scientists say that after falling from the tree they look dead, but in reality they are alive. Their heart is still beating, but their body becomes completely paralyzed. As soon as they get warm, they can get back to health.

Iguana lying unconscious on the road. (Photo-Social Media)

Florida’s ‘unwanted guests’

Now the question arises that if they could have been alive, then why are they being killed? Actually, green iguanas are not native to Florida. They were brought here from outside in the 1960s. These are called ‘Invasive Species’. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), these creatures have become a major threat to the local environment.

Losses caused by these-

1. environmental damage: They eat local plants and threaten the survival of native species (such as butterflies and other small creatures).
2. Damage to infrastructure: Iguanas create tunnels in the ground, which weaken roads, footpaths and canal banks.
3. diseases: They can spread bacteria like Salmonella, which is dangerous for humans.

Government and public are killing together

In view of the severe cold, FWC issued an order (Executive Order 26-03) that common citizens can collect these ‘cold-stunned’ (unconscious) iguanas without any permit. The condition was that they would have to be delivered alive to wildlife officials. The people of Florida participated enthusiastically in it. Between 1 and 2 February, people collected thousands of fallen iguanas from parks, streets and their gardens. A total of 5,195 iguanas were handed over to the authorities.

Why is euthanasia being given?

The government believes that releasing these creatures back into the wild would be a big mistake for the environment. Under Florida law, these invasive species are allowed to be humanely eliminated in order to protect the state’s original wildlife. Therefore, all these more than 5,000 iguanas were humanely euthanized.