Poor little Lizards

[Filthy Sanchez]

Culling, of introduced species is needed, In the Galapagos goats and rats have wipe out a couple tortoise species, one lizard, and several plants, on Jamaica the mongoose has wiped out several endemic lizard, a mouse anda couple birds, on Guam the brown tree snake has emptied the forest of native birds, in Australia the list is a long one. Young iguans directly compete with native lizards.
I like iguanas and except on islands I think it is too late to get rid of the wild ones in Florida but it is a problem that needs to be dealt with.

Agreed, they're non-native species that don't belong there. It sucks the lizards have to be killed, but it's the fault of those idiots who introduced them in the first place. There are better ways to deal with a pet you can no longer care for, than to release it somewhere it doesn't belong. South Florida is already run crazy with introduced species that can't be terminated. In this case (on an island) something can be done.

 

[andrew5150]

im sorry but it is evolution the strong survive and the weak die it doesnt matter how or why they are there.
why kill the strong for being strong they are doing what god made them to do

 

[Wiggles92]

im sorry but it is evolution the strong survive and the weak die it doesnt matter how or why they are there.
why kill the strong for being strong they are doing what god made them to do

Old thread...

The iguanas were introduced by irresponsible hobbyists and didn't get there on their own, so eliminating them makes sense; just because they evolved to thrive in that environment doesn't mean that they belong there.

 

[muffywrx]

I work for my state Department of Natural Resources and one of my duties is pulling out invasive (non-native) plants, and birds. (Tree of Heaven, Garlic Mustard, and House Sparrows mostly) You can speculate on the need for controlling an invasive without seing its impact on the native species, but it is a hole nother matter once you see the impact first hand. non-native species compete with native species for limited resources, and the non-natives often win due to a lack of biological controls. There is a moral question when controllin invasives, especialy when you have not seen the damage they can cause. Did you know that non-native House Sparrows kill native Blue Birds for thier nests? Did you know that non-native Brown Tree Snakes have nearly eradicated all the native birds in Gaum? Some things to think about before you condem "richy rich" countries for controling invasive exotics.

Although the report talks about the iguana problem from a human impact perapective, however the real problem is their impact on the environment. This is especialy true for an island ecosystem with limited resources.

Thank you for enlightening.... Most people don't realize media hypes things on one side only...

Same thing happens with all those carp...

 

[snakefin]

im sorry but it is evolution the strong survive and the weak die it doesnt matter how or why they are there.
why kill the strong for being strong they are doing what god made them to do

Old thread, lousy response and lousy application of evolution theory.

 

[crayfishguy]

they need to send them all to where they originated..boost the population

 

[Eupterus]

I would prefer an alternative to killing the iguanas such as selling them or moving them somewhere else. My view on killing unwanted animals is that it's a last resort.

 

[coura]

they need to send them all to where they originated..boost the population

The problem with that is they have mixed up genetics wich is not desirable in a native wild population. However in other species much more endangered in their native range such as javan sparrows in Hawai, that is currently being considered.

 

[coura]

Agreed, they're non-native species that don't belong there. It sucks the lizards have to be killed, but it's the fault of those idiots who introduced them in the first place. There are better ways to deal with a pet you can no longer care for, than to release it somewhere it doesn't belong. South Florida is already run crazy with introduced species that can't be terminated. In this case (on an island) something can be done.

The dont belong argument is fishy, species moving allong the planet is as old as life itself. At first they are "missfits", then (if they survive at all in the new location) they evolve (possibly causing the extinction of locals, modifying them or not causing any effect at all) and become "native". People are the ones that simply can cope with the fact that the world around them evolves behond their control.

 

[snakefin]

The dont belong argument is fishy, species moving allong the planet is as old as life itself. At first they are "missfits", then (if they survive at all in the new location) they evolve (possibly causing the extinction of locals, modifying them or not causing any effect at all) and become "native". People are the ones that simply can cope with the fact that the world around them evolves behond their control.

Hmmm. Your argument is a bit contradictory, Coura. Considering the above two points that you have posted, one may assume that hybridisation is a cause and a valid cause, for evolution to take place. Therefore, in both cases, we will simply have to consider populations as they are, as of now.