TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) plans to allow the use of guns to reduce the population of green iguanas in south Taiwan, Agriculture Minister Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季) said Wednesday (Nov. 13).

Legislators expressed concern about the rapid spread of the invasive species of lizard in Kaohsiung, Pingtung, Tainan, and Chiayi, per CNA. The animals were responsible for damage to rice fields and red bean plants in the region, according to Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆).

He said the NT$3 million (US$92,300) Pingtung had budgeted was not enough, as the county needed NT$6 million this year alone to catch 30,000 green iguanas. The legislator called on the authorities to solve the problem once and for all instead of applying a piecemeal approach.

Agriculture Minister Chen estimated that 190,000 green iguanas had been caught since 2021, though the total population in Taiwan still stood at nearly 200,000. Chen said he would consider training staff to use guns against the iguanas.

The minister also promised to set up a single task force to coordinate between the different local governments. At present, green iguanas found living on river banks on the border between different cities or counties easily escape capture.