Florida clarifies kill 'whenever possible' policy on iguanas after pool worker gets shot by iguana hunter
Florida's conservation authority had to issue a clarification to kill iguanas "whenever possible" after a pool worker was accidentally shot by an iguana hunter.
The directive was given to homeowners because iguanas had become an invasive species damaging local plants and undermining the infrastructure.
"Green iguanas are not protected in Florida except by anti-cruelty laws and can be humanely killed on private property year-round with landowner permission," read the statement from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
"The FWC encourages removal of green iguanas from private properties by landowners," they added.
Paramedics treated a pool worker at a Boca Raton home for minor injuries from being shot by a pellet gun in the leg. Boca Raton Police said that an iguana hunter had been hired to exterminate the animals from the home.
"Unfortunately, the message has been conveyed that we are asking the public to just go out there and shoot them up," said FWC Commissioner Rodney Barreto in a new statement.
"This is not what we are about," he added, "this is not the 'wild west.'"
The iguana hunter who shot the pool worker was not charged with any crime.
