Fla. county moves against iguanas

PALM BEACH, Fla., July 8 (UPI) -- Palm Beach County, Fla., officials are asking state wildlife authorities to classify the iguanas that have infested many backyards as "reptiles of concern."

County commissioners requested the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission take the step, which would require owners of pet iguanas to pay a $100 annual permit fee and have microchips implanted in the reptiles to help identify them among the many iguanas living in the wild in South Florida, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported Tuesday.

Iguanas, which can grow up to five feet long, were brought to South Florida from their native Central and South American homes by pet owners who freed the reptiles after they became too large to manage. Hurricanes also freed many and the population has since grown to the point where state officials said they cannot give an accurate count of the animals in the region.

Homeowners said they have very few options open to them when iguanas take up residence near their homes and destroy gardens and other property. State law allows people to drive the reptiles away with pellet guns, water hoses or professional trappers, but homeowners said those are all temporary solutions and the iguanas usually return within a few weeks.