Man wants iguana on Florida menus

PUNTA GORDA, Fla., July 26 (UPI) -- The author of a new cookbook says residents of Florida should begin eating iguanas to avoid a possible population explosion of the animals.

The St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times reported Friday that with several reptile species breeding in the wild throughout Florida, cookbook author George Cera wants iguanas on Florida residents' plates rather than loose in the wild.

"Listen,'' the author of "The Iguana Cookbook: Save Florida… Eat an Iguana" said. "In Central America, in South America, in Mexico, iguanas are considered a delicacy. We ought to be eating them.''

Iguana researcher Kenneth Krysko of the University of Florida said iguanas are becoming widespread in Florida.

"They are widespread,'' Krysko said. "And there are tens of thousands of them."

The Times said lax state and federal laws for the pet trade are partially to blame for the growth of such reptile species in Florida. For Cera, the problem stems from iguana owners who simply released the creatures into the wild.

"They were brought here. They were let loose by idiots," he told the Times. "Now they are destroying Florida. We can't let that happen.''