Overview
- Removal teams report collecting roughly 2,500 iguanas in two days, and residents have found hundreds across South Florida.
- The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission urges people to hand over immobilized animals and warns against at‑home rescue attempts due to sudden recovery and potential injuries.
- Iguanas are non-native in Florida, often tied to former pets, and the cold provides a brief window to capture them for placement with caretakers or humane euthanasia.
- Near‑freezing temperatures from an Arctic‑driven cold snap triggered the torpor response in these ectotherms, producing uncommon winter conditions in the state.
- The same weather has concentrated manatees at warm springs, with counts at Blue Spring reported around 800 in recent days.