Animal control captures 10 iguanas in one evening at Kaohsiung lake
Animal control captures 10 iguanas in one evening at Kaohsiung lake
2025-05-07
The population of green iguanas has exploded in recent years. Over at Chengcing Lake in Kaohsiung, people have even spotted one as long as 1.7m, causing frightened park visitors to contact the Agriculture Bureau’s animal control team. In just one night, two fully armed officers captured ten reptiles, with the largest measuring in at 1.4m long.
Two animal control officers, equipped to the nines with nets and hunting gear, patrol Niaosong Wetland in Kaohsiung for green iguanas. Another group captures one soon after arriving at the park.
Kimi
Animal control officer
There are a lot here. It’s basically their habitat. When they see people, they’ll jump straight into the water. Since they’ve been disturbed before, they’re afraid of people.
A huge 1.7m-long iguana has even been spotted at the popular Chengcing Lake in Kaohsiung lounging on the walking path. It shocked passersby, who nearly tread on the reptile that’s used to basking in the sun during Kaohsiung’s hot summers. After receiving a report, the city’s Agriculture Bureau sends a team out to capture the reptiles. In just one evening, they were able to capture ten, the largest one measuring in at 1.4m.
Huang Teng-ko
Animal control officer
The reason we hunt at night is because when the iguanas are frightened off during the day, they can run faster than dogs. After we patrol the area during the day, we take the opportunity to capture then after sundown.
The team shines a bright light into the treetops, being careful not to disturb the iguanas. Since they’re not as active at night, there’s a higher capture success rate. Kaohsiung is also offering a new training course this year, where members of the public can get certified to join the iguana hunting team. It’s all part of necessary efforts to keep the invasive species from harming the ecosystem.
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#iguana #greeniguana #Kaohsiung #ChengcingLake #hunting #invasivespecies #animalcontrol #wildlife
巨型綠鬣蜥現蹤澄清湖獵人出馬"一晚抓到10隻"
2025-05-07
綠鬣蜥近年激增，高雄知名景點澄清湖，更有民眾在園區步道，驚見一隻長達1.7公尺的綠鬣蜥，嚇到不敢往前走，趕緊通報農業局人員來抓，兩名工作人員全副武裝進到園區裡，光是一個晚上，就捕捉到10隻，體型最大的甚至長達1.4公尺，相當驚人。
高雄鳥松溼地，人員全副武裝，帶著網子、設備，準備展開綠鬣蜥抓捕行動，另一組獵龍成員，在進入園區後不久，就順利抓獲。
[[獵龍成員 Kimi]]
“這一部份有蠻多，這算牠們的棲息地。其實牠們看到人都會直接跳到水裡面跑掉，因為可能以前已經有人騷擾過牠們，牠們會怕人。”
高雄知名景點澄清湖日前出現長達1.7公尺的巨型綠鬣蜥，模樣悠閒，躺在步道上，路過民眾嚇到不敢經過，還差點跌倒，原來高雄夏季天氣炎熱，綠鬣蜥慣性出來曬太陽，農業局接獲通報，出動獵龍大隊，光是一個晚上，就捕獲10隻，體型最大更長達1.4公尺。
[[農業局抓綠鬣蜥人員黃登科]]
“晚上抓的原因是因為，綠鬣蜥白天受到驚嚇，跑得比狗還快。當我們白天做現場環境的巡查之後，然後再利用晚上去做逮捕行動。”
捕捉大隊用強光照射樹頂，小心翼翼就怕打草驚蛇，綠鬣蜥因為夜間活動力較低，捕捉的成功率比較高。高雄市今年起也開辦訓練班，開放民眾參加課程取得證書，就能加入獵龍大隊，合法協助捕捉，不讓過量的綠鬣蜥，有危害生態的可能。
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