By Mike Lightbourn
Bright green intruders are entering properties in Eleuthera and elsewhere in the Bahamas in growing numbers. No, I’m not talking about space aliens. I’m referring to the Common Green Iguana.
“Godzilla is a joke compared to this lizard,” The Bahamas National Trust warns. The invasive Common Green Iguana arrived in Florida from Central and South America in the 1960s as part of the exotic pet trade. Now they’re all-over South Florida – in private property, public parks and even bars and restaurants.
They raid food, tear up backyard gardens, collapse canals and displace native wildlife. Florida wildlife experts have warned Green Iguanas can spread bugs like salmonella among house pets. And they can give a nasty bite.
Sightings have been confirmed in Eleuthera, including Spanish Wells and Harbour Island.
The Ministry of Agriculture says there’s been an increase in sightings on New Providence, Paradise Island, Grand Bahama, Bimini, Great Abaco and Elbow Cay, Eleuthera, Great Exuma and Staniel Cay and the Stirrup Cays.
The National Trust warns of devastating effects. Unchecked, green iguana populations explode, leading to collateral damage on infrastructure, agriculture, tourism, long-term food security and biodiversity. They have caused cities millions of dollars in repairs. They burrow underground to lay their eggs, shorting out power lines, collapsing roads, and eroding coastlines.
The Trust cites Cayman Islands as an example of how devastating these invasive lizards can be. Small numbers of Green Iguanas first started appearing in the Caymans in 2004. In a short while, they took a foothold. Today, through their invasive species management programmes, Cayman has removed more than 1.4 million iguanas, but the invasion shows no sign of slowing.
The grim reality is that, so far, no country has been able to eradicate this species once a breeding population has become established, the Trust says.
It says the most tragic casualty will be the extinction of the endangered Bahamian Rock Iguana through crossbreeding. The Trust calls the Green Iguana one of the biggest threats to Bahamian biodiversity.
Questions or comments? Contact me at [email protected].
(Mike Lightbourn is president of Coldwell Banker Lightbourn Realty)
