A county government in southern Taiwan has organized a class to teach people how to catch green iguanas, which are an invasive species and cause serious problems in the region. Spots filled up in five minutes, with many eager to help.
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00:00Catching Green Iguanas 101, a training course in southern Taiwan is packed with people eager
00:06to learn how to get rid of this invasive species that eats fields of crops, kills other animals,
00:11and wrecks farmers' livelihoods.
00:13We help them grow vegetables in the countryside.
00:20150 spots in the class, organized by the Pingtung County government, filled up in just five
00:26minutes.
00:27At the end, they sign a contract promising they will follow local guidelines, and not
00:31abuse the reptiles or upload photos of them.
00:44Not native to Taiwan, around 100,000 green iguanas were imported here as pets in the
00:49early 2000s, and as their owners started to abandon them when they became difficult to
00:53care for, the iguanas entered the wild.
00:57Over the years, their population has exploded, creating serious problems.
01:02Apart from eating crops, experts are also worried about the parasites they carry.
01:06This year, Pingtung County alone has caught over 40,000 green iguanas.
01:11And there are many more.
01:12With no natural predators, they are hard to eliminate and can easily reproduce, laying
01:17up to 70 eggs at a time.
01:20Local officials say getting rid of them will be a long-term process, and they hope to equip
01:24regular people to help.
01:32Taiwan has also taken other measures to stop their spread, including banning import and
01:36breeding of the species.
01:38And now, residents in this county will also be properly trained to join the fight against
01:43green iguanas.
01:44Joseph Wu, and Keynes Curanta, for Taiwan Plus.