Farmers are complaining about a new problem that makes growing crops more difficult; iguanas consuming their crops.
One farmer admits that he kills them on sight but his efforts grow futile as they seem to increase in numbers.
“But the more I see them… it’s like these things resurrect,” he said.
Chief Plant Protection Officer Dr Janil Gore-Francis confirmed that many farmers are facing the same issue mainly in the area of Cassada Gardens and Judges Hill.
Dr Gore-Francis admits that the department is struggling to deal with the issue for several reasons.
“We have been trying to gather information because the fact is, iguanas are not really a plant pest. However, it is a menace and we are trying at the ministry level to see what can be done. We understand some people are hunting the green iguana,” she said.
She also explained that the iguanas are invasive species; meaning that they have a tendency to spread to a degree believed to cause damage to the environment.
“It’s an emerging issue and we don’t know how it is going to impact the farmers … but we are trying to be proactive and try to manage the population before it gets to a stage where it could be a major problem for our farmers,” Dr Gore Francis said.
Francis also mentioned that the green iguanas sometimes get confused with the native ground lizards.
“A few nationalities that live here have been hunting them. If you eat them that’s good. But we have to make sure that we can differentiate between them,” she said.
Ground lizards are green and brown in colour and help with insect control.
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Iguanas r vegetarians an now the vegetation is gone they will attack the crops leaves
Iguanas are Omnivores, they eat insects, plants and rodents.
You can eat them. They are edible.
“‘Of the animals that move along the ground, these are unclean for you: the weasel, the rat, any kind of great lizard, 30 the gecko, the monitor lizard, the wall lizard, the skink and the chameleon. 31 Of all those that move along the ground, these are unclean for you.”
You eat crab and lobster?
No. “Of all the creatures living in the water of the seas and the streams you may eat any that have FINS and SCALES. 10 But all creatures in the seas or streams that do not have fins and scales—whether among all the swarming things or among all the other living creatures in the water—you are to regard as unclean. Anything living in the water that does not have FINS and SCALES is to be regarded as unclean by you”
Good, you eat what you want and I’ll do the same.
Eat the Iguanas. We need more indigenous meat supply & they taste good with pepper.
And this is way I am not getting into argicultrue between drought and iguana plus bush fire you begging for a lost.
Please update on the Government’s Broiler Program.
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