Officials celebrate astounding feat after removing more than 36,000 invasive lizards in mere months: 'A lot of people bought them as cute little pets'
Taiwan officials announced a huge win in the battle against invasive green iguanas in the country, removing thousands of the animals in just four months.
Taiwan's Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency (FNCA) reported that it had removed 36,543 green iguanas in 2025 up until April, triple the number in the same period in 2024, according to Taiwan News.
The FNCA utilized an app originally designed for reporting natural disasters threatening crops, which was updated with a function to report green iguana sightings. The organization also worked with four teams of indigenous hunters for more difficult-to-reach areas, as well as nine removal squads, totaling 1,635 people on the lookout for the lizards.
Green iguanas were introduced to Taiwan via the exotic pet trade around 20 years ago, according to The Economist. They now total around 200,000 and threaten farmers' crops like maize, red beans, and gourds, and they face no natural predators on the island.
Prime breeding time is in the period from spring to early summer, and the outlet said some believe their prolific numbers are due to unusually warm winters, tied to rising global temperatures.
FNCA Director General Lin Hwa-ching told Taiwan News that green iguanas tend to be found in clusters, with their presence a result of poor human management. Hwa-ching also urged the public not to demonize the animals, but instead focus on compassion during removal.
Taiwan is one of several countries facing issues with green iguanas, a popular animal in the exotic pet trade that has been known to escape or be abandoned. It has even caused problems in Florida.
"A lot of people bought them as cute little pets, not realizing how big and long-lived they would become, so they set them free in the wild, where they've really taken to the Taiwanese environment," Lee Chi-ya of the agricultural department in the southern county of Pingtung told CNN.
Invasive species don't just come in the form of exotic pets, but non-native plants as well, which is something to consider when you're planting in your yard or garden.
Focusing on native species, whether plant or animal, helps ensure continued biodiversity and ultimately saves on resources (and money, too).
Should we be actively working to kill invasive species?
Absolutely
It depends on the species
I don't know
No — leave nature alone
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Yahoo
Torrance boy, 9, detained by ICE for planned deportation to Honduras; community outraged
Earlier this week, residents in Torrance were scrambling to find out what happened to 9-year-old Martir Garcia Lara, a fourth-grader at Torrance Elementary School. One day, he simply didn't show up for school. Teachers and PTA officials believed he was being held at a federal immigration facility with his father but could not get firm answers. Federal officials confirmed Thursday the boy and his father were taken into custody May 29 after checking in with federal officials in downtown Los Angeles. The two were transferred to an immigration facility in Texas the following day, and officials plan to deport them to Honduras. Parents with Torrance Elementary's PTA sent out a letter asking residents to reach out to elected officials to drum up support for the boy. The PTA had few answers, but was committed to making sure the public was aware that he was missing from their community. Read more: Feds arrest 36 Chinese, Taiwanese citizens in SoCal underground nightclub raid "We're all searching for answers," Torrance Elementary PTA volunteer Ria Villanueva told The Times. "When something like this happens, it shakes all of us in the community. There's not a child at our school that we don't treat as our own." The detention is the latest in a string of high-profile immigration enforcement actions over the last week, part of Trump's promised deportation crackdown. A few days ago, immigration agents raided a popular San Diego restaurant and made arrests, sparking a standoff with outraged residents. Agents also arrested Chinese and Taiwanese nationals at an underground nightclub in the Los Angeles area. The boy accompanied his father, Martir Garcia-Benegas, 50, to an immigration court facility in downtown Los Angeles on May 29, according to a statement from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Garcia-Benegas arrived in the United States on July 10, 2021, with his son. But an immigration judge ordered both the father and son to be deported to Honduras on Sept. 1, 2022. The father appealed the decision to the Board of Immigration Appeals on Aug. 11, 2023, but the appeal was dismissed. The two did not leave the country as ordered by the immigration judge, according to ICE spokesperson Monica Yoas. Federal officials referred to the boy as Martin Issac Garcia-Benegas, but Torrance Elementary knows him as Martir Garcia Lara. He has attended the school since first grade, according to Villanueva, the PTA volunteer. The boy's story was first reported by news station KTLA. Read more: ICE agents with assault rifles toss flash-bangs in trendy San Diego neighborhood. Community fights back A spokesperson with Torrance Unified School District said they are aware of the news story, but could not confirm the details. They were communicating with relatives of the father and son and authorities to better understand the situation, district spokesperson Sara Myers said in an email on Wednesday. "Out of respect for the student's privacy and to avoid spreading unverified information, we are not able to share any further information at this time," Myers said. "We remain committed to the safety and well-being of all our students and will continue to follow proper protocols as more information becomes available." After they were detained by officials in Los Angeles, the father and son were transferred to the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Dilley, Texas. It was not immediately clear if they had legal representation. Courthouses across the country have become the latest target of Trump's immigration crackdown, where federal agents have been deployed to arrest individuals after they make their scheduled appearances before an immigration judge. Often those immigrants have been here less than two years, and attorneys from the Department of Homeland Security ask to dismiss the case from deportation proceedings. When the judge grants the request, immigrants who leave the court have been met by plainclothes federal agents who take them into custody for expedited removal. In Santa Ana and Los Angeles, those agents wore masks, surrounded migrants as they came out of court and often left family members watching distraught and in tears. Their attorneys and advocates say agents are targeting the people that are doing exactly as the government asked. Most have no criminal records, and many have children in the United States. 'They are doing everything that we ask them to, and yet are still being detained and expeditely removed from the U.S.," said Melissa Shepard, director of legal services at Immigrant Defenders Law Center. 'It's causing a lot of confusion. Folks are really fearful.' Half of California's 9 million children are part of immigrant families, with most being U.S. citizens, according to a study from UCLA. Times staff writer Rachel Uranga contributed to this report. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
CBS News
04-06-2025
- CBS News
China calls Rubio remarks about Tiananmen Square an "attack"
Beijing hit back Wednesday at Secretary of State Marco Rubio for saying the world will "never forget" the deadly Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989, describing his remarks as an "attack" on China. Chinese troops and tanks forcibly cleared peaceful protesters from the square in the capital on June 4, 1989 after weeks-long demonstrations demanding greater political freedoms. The exact toll is unknown but hundreds died, with some estimates exceeding 1,000 people. China's communist rulers have since sought to erase any public mention of the crackdown, with censors scrubbing all online references and foreign media warned over their coverage of the 36-year mark. Mike Wallace's "60 Minutes" report on the secret Tiananmen papers Police were seen by AFP on Wednesday at the entrance to Wan'an Cemetery, a site in west Beijing where victims of the crackdown are known to be buried. Officers were also posted at several intersections leading into Tiananmen Square on Chang'an Avenue, a broad thoroughfare that is placed under tight security throughout the year. Police officers stand at the fence in front of Tiananmen Square on June 4, 2025. Johannes Neudecker / picture alliance via Getty Images Rubio said in a statement the "world will never forget" what happened on June 4, even as Beijing "actively tries to censor the facts." "Today we commemorate the bravery of the Chinese people who were killed as they tried to exercise their fundamental freedoms, as well as those who continue to suffer persecution as they seek accountability and justice for the events of June 4, 1989," Rubio said. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian hit back during a Wednesday briefing in the capital, saying Beijing had "lodged a solemn protest" over Rubio's comments. "The erroneous statements by the US side maliciously distort historical facts, deliberately attack China's political system and developmental path, and seriously interfere in China's internal affairs," Lin said. Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te echoed Rubio's remarks, vowing to preserve the memory of victims of the bloody crackdown. "Authoritarian governments often choose to be silent and forget history; democratic societies choose to preserve the truth and refuse to forget those who have contributed to the ideal of human rights and their dreams," Lai said on Facebook. China claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to seize the democratic island by force. Hong Kong commemorations banned In Hong Kong, jailed activist Chow Hang-tung began a 36-hour hunger strike on Wednesday, a dogged attempt to individually commemorate the mark in a city that once hosted huge public remembrances. The former lawyer used to help organize an annual vigil that drew tens of thousands to the city's Victoria Park. Police patrol outside the entrance of a fair at Victoria Park in Hong Kong's Causeway Bay district on June 3, 2025, where people traditionally gathered annually on June 4 to mourn the victims of China's Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989 - now banned following a national security law imposed on the city in 2020. PETER PARKS / AFP via Getty Images Hong Kong had been the only place under Chinese rule where commemoration of the crackdown was tolerated. Slogans at the candlelight vigils sometimes called for democracy in China and an end to one-party rule. But after huge and sometimes violent protests roiled the city in 2019, Beijing brought in a wide-ranging national security law that has quashed political dissent. The public memorial has effectively been banned and Chow imprisoned, facing a potential life sentence on subversion charges. Over the last few years, activists have been detained for "offences in connection with seditious intention" around the anniversary. In a social media post, Chow said her hunger strike would "commemorate this day and reaffirm our commitment". She called the city's national security officers "real 'criminals'" and urged authorities to apologise to her over her "wrongful" imprisonment. "History tells us that (the apology) will likely take a very long time -- the Tiananmen Mothers have been waiting for 36 years and still have not received an apology," she said, referring to an activist group made up of families of victims of the crackdown. A video featuring 87-year-old Zhang Xianling, whose 19-year-old son was killed in 1989, circulated online last week. China's authorities have never addressed the group's plea for dialogue around the issue -- instead, they have used all means to monitor and wiretap members of the Tiananmen Mothers, Zhang said.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Yahoo
Taiwan's Lai, Rubio vow to 'never forget' Tiananmen victims
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te vowed Wednesday to preserve the memory of China's Tiananmen Square crackdown 36 years ago, echoing rhetoric by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Chinese troops and tanks forcibly cleared peaceful protesters from Beijing's Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, after weeks-long demonstrations demanding greater political freedoms. The exact toll is unknown but hundreds died, with some estimates exceeding 1,000 people. China's communist rulers have since sought to erase any public mention of the crackdown. "Authoritarian governments often choose to be silent and forget history; democratic societies choose to preserve the truth and refuse to forget those who have contributed to the ideal of human rights and their dreams," Lai said in a post on Facebook ahead of an annual vigil in Taipei's Liberty Square. "We remember the sacrifice of our predecessors, and we know the value of freedom, and we cannot ignore the erosion of global democracy and the rule of law by authoritarian expansion." China claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to seize the democratic island by force. In a rare return to human rights rhetoric, Rubio said Tuesday the "world will never forget" what happened on June 4 even as Beijing "actively tries to censor the facts". "Today we commemorate the bravery of the Chinese people who were killed as they tried to exercise their fundamental freedoms, as well as those who continue to suffer persecution as they seek accountability and justice for the events of June 4, 1989," Rubio said in a statement. Despite a long Senate career as an outspoken advocate for human rights, Rubio has been more selective as Donald Trump's top diplomat, focusing his rights criticism on US adversaries including China and Cuba. Rubio's predecessors issued statements each year to mark the anniversary of the bloody crackdown. But Rubio's statement had subtle differences -- his Democratic predecessor Antony Blinken last year urged China to accept recommendations in a UN-backed rights review and to respect freedoms enshrined in the post-World War II Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Rubio did not reference the United Nations, a frequent target of criticism by the Trump administration. - 'Reaffirm our commitment' - In Hong Kong, a jailed activist began a 36-hour hunger strike on Wednesday, a dogged attempt to individually commemorate the anniversary in a city that once hosted huge public remembrances. Former lawyer Chow Hang-tung used to help organise an annual vigil that drew tens of thousands to the city's Victoria Park. Hong Kong had been the only place under Chinese rule where commemoration of the crackdown was tolerated. Slogans at the candlelight vigil sometimes called for democracy in China and an end to one-party rule. But after huge and sometimes violent protests roiled the city in 2019, Beijing brought in a wide-ranging national security law that has quashed political dissent. The public memorial has effectively been banned and Chow imprisoned, facing a potential life sentence on subversion charges. On Wednesday, AFP journalists saw dozens of police patrolling the district around the park. Over the last few years, activists have been detained for "offences in connection with seditious intention" around the anniversary. In a social media post, Chow said her hunger strike would "commemorate this day and reaffirm our commitment". She called the city's national security officers "real 'criminals'" and urged authorities to apologise to her over her "wrongful" imprisonment. "History tells us that (the apology) will likely take a very long time –- the Tiananmen Mothers have been waiting for 36 years and still have not received an apology," she said, referring to an activist group made up of families of victims of the crackdown. A video featuring 87-year-old Zhang Xianling, whose 19-year-old son was killed in 1989, circulated online last week. China's authorities have never addressed the group's plea for dialogue around the issue -- instead, they have used all means to monitor and wiretap members of the Tiananmen Mothers, Zhang said. "The lights in Victoria Park may have been blown out by the gales, but the sparks of justice will glow in the hearts of every conscientious person," she added. burs/reb/je/lb
