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Florida Launches Emergency Removal of Cold‑Stunned Iguanas as Freeze Grips the State

The state is using rare cold immobilization to reduce an invasive population under a time‑limited wildlife order.

Overview

  • Florida’s wildlife commission issued a temporary executive order allowing residents and professionals to remove immobilized green iguanas without permits and deliver them to designated drop‑off sites.
  • Officials detailed transport rules that require ventilated cloth bags placed in labeled containers, with reception points operating in Marathon, Sunrise, Tequesta, Fort Myers and Lakeland during set hours.
  • The National Weather Service maintained freeze alerts after an Arctic air mass and a bomb cyclone drove temperatures near or below freezing across parts of the state.
  • Authorities urged the public not to take stunned iguanas into homes or vehicles to warm them and advised gloves and protective clothing because animals can revive suddenly and injure handlers.
  • FWC reported that most collected iguanas are being humanely euthanized, with a smaller share transferred to permitted buyers for legal commercial use outside Florida, as residents and contractors report mass collections.