Earlier this month, Florida conservation officials gave homeowners the green light to exterminate invasive green iguanas without a permit.
That doesn’t mean locals should open fire at anything that moves.
Following the accidental shooting of a pool maintenance worker by an iguana hunter, the state’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has clarified its instruction, reminding folks that Florida is “not the ‘wild west.’”
In a notice posted on its website July 3, the FWC encouraged people to “remove and kill” green iguanas on private properties, as well as 22 public lands.
But aside from one mention of trapping and euthanizing the lizards, officials offered no real guidance on how to remove the cold-blooded reptiles.
“Unfortunately, the message has been conveyed that we are asking the public to just go out there and shoot them up,” FWC Commissioner Rodney Barreto said in a statement. “This is not what we are about.”
The revised statement comes two weeks after a pool worker in Boca Raton was hit in the leg with a pellet by someone hired to execute iguanas in the neighborhood.
The unnamed hunter was not charged, according to WPTV.
“If you are not capable of safely removing iguanas from your property, please seek assistance from professionals who do this for a living,” Barreto urged.
Green iguanas—which can grow to at least 5 feet long and weigh nearly 20 pounds—cause damage to residential and commercial landscape vegetation, and are often considered a nuisance by property owners.
The reptiles, which are not native to Florida, can also spread Salmonella.
Next time you find an unwanted scaly guest lounging on your property, though, instead of grabbing a gun, try detering the animal by modifying the habitat: remove plants that act as attractants, fill holes to discourage burrowing, hang noisy wind chimes and reflective CDs, or spray the iguana with water.
If all else fails, call a professional trapper.
More on Geek.com:
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- Florida Woman Spots Giant Alligator ‘Taking a Dip’ in Swimming Pool
- Huge, Invasive Lizard On the Loose for More Than a Year Finally Captured in Florida
