WATCH THE VIDEO! Homeowners Say Killing Iguanas — Legal In Florida — Is Inhumane. Claim Animal Cruelty Investigation Underway. It’s Not.
IGUANA CONTROL: “YOU PEOPLE ARE CRAZY.”
BY: STAFF REPORT | BocaNewsNow.com
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2022 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — A handful of residents in the West Boca Raton community of Loggers Run aggressively berated a man hired by the Homeowners Association to kill Iguanas. The killing is legal. Green Iguanas are an invasive species. But for Kyle Krakow and others, it’s “illegal” and “inhumane.”
Krakow, who the Sun Sentinel reported was arrested in 2014 for a monkey farm protest (charges were later dropped), shared the video of the verbal assault on the Iguana controller. When BocaNewsNow.com didn’t report his angst, he wrote this:
“On Friday, October 14, a man entered the serene neighborhood of Loggers’ Run in Boca Raton and shot an iguana multiple times in the head. Witnessing the act were horrified children and adults, including Therese Serignese, who filmed the shooter as he placed the writhing animal in a trash bag.
It was revealed that the Loggers’ Run HOA hired the shooter but failed to notify residents prior to his arrival. Residents like Serignese and her son Gary are upset about the precedent an event like this sets. According to police, the HOA intends to have all remaining iguanas in the neighborhood killed too.”
But BocaNewsNow.com has been unable to confirm that any investigation — at all — is underway. In fact, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission says killing Green Iguanas is just fine, so long as it’s done humanely.
Writes the FWC: “Green iguanas are not native to Florida and are considered an invasive species due to their impacts to native wildlife. Like all non-native reptile species, green iguanas are not protected in Florida except by anti-cruelty law and can be humanely killed on private property with landowner permission. This species can be captured and humanely killed year-round and without a permit or hunting license on 25 public lands in south Florida.”
Adds the Fish and Wildlife Commission: “Green iguanas feed on a wide variety of vegetation, including shoots, leaves, blossoms and fruits of plants such as nickerbean, firebush, jasmine, orchids, roses, Washington fan palms, hibiscuses, garden greens, squashes and melons. Their tendency to eat ornamental plants can make them a nuisance to homeowners. Adult green iguanas can also feed on bird eggs and dead animals. Juvenile green iguanas feed on vegetation, insects and tree snails.”
Communities across South Florida are engaged in Iguana extermination. BocaNewsNow.com reached out to several Iguanas to ask if their killing is inhumane. They did not respond. They’re Iguanas.
