By KHT Staff. Photo courtesy of Pingtung County Government.
PINGTUNG — More than 90,000 invasive green iguanas were captured in Pingtung County during the first seven months of the year, with trained civilian hunters responsible for most removals, county data showed.
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A total of 90,868 iguanas were recorded from January through July, putting Pingtung on pace to exceed last year’s record of 130,262 removals.
Civilian hunters captured 63,922 iguanas, or about 70% of the total, and received NT$8.5 million in convenience store vouchers under the county reward program.
The top-ranked hunter, surnamed Liu (劉), removed 5,648 iguanas, including 2,826 adults and 2,822 juveniles. Liu received NT$988,900 in vouchers.
A hunter surnamed Weng (翁) ranked second after capturing 3,014 adults and 672 juveniles, earning NT$937,800.
A hunter surnamed Lee (李) ranked third with 2,326 adults and 2,151 juveniles, receiving NT$805,350.
Under the reward system, trained hunters receive NT$300 for each adult iguana measuring at least 30 cm from snout to vent, and NT$50 for each juvenile below that length.
The central government opened the invasive green iguana removal program to trained members of the public last year.
By the end of last year, 654 civilian hunters in Pingtung had completed training and joined this year’s removal work, alongside contractors commissioned by the county government.
Officials said capture numbers have continued to rise as hunters become more familiar with iguana behavior, hiding places, and preferred habitats.
Pingtung has recorded the highest number of green iguana removals in Taiwan every year since 2019.
