The peaceful agrarian life has turned into a daily showdown of wit and perseverance for locals ever since the reptiles, particularly iguanas, started infesting their premises and farms, laying waste to crops, and disrupting their means of livelihood.
Operating with strategic precision, local authorities have now adopted innovative techniques to quell the rampant iguana presence. Their methods include the use of a selection of vegetables as bait for ensnaring green invaders from their lofty havens in tree branches near water bodies. The objective is two-fold: to assimilate a head count of these reptilian marauders and to experiment on the efficiency of different Iggy-capturing techniques.
In this rural community, where the sight of an iguana is as common as a fresh dawn, a native confesses that many of these invaders bear a legacy of disruption for a good decade. Some are even estimated to be of 5-6 years of age. While this native has been fortunate to evade any direct confrontation, the prevailing threat persists, and hopes are pegged on the decisive action by the authorities.
The scepticism is palpable among the inhabitants, many of whom point out the stubborn nature of iguanas, who tend to return to their chosen spots even after considerable shooing efforts. The unsuccessful attempts at repelling these stubborn creatures have become emblematic of their frustrating confrontation with the ‘green menace’.
The population count is daunting around the village’s chicken farm, believed to be home to around 100 large and as many as 1,000 small, multi-coloured iguanas. Farming has been reduced to a hapless exercise, thanks to iguanas’ insatiable appetite that spares not a single sprout.
The villagers are pondering measures to contain this reptilian population boom, particularly during the dry season. It’s affecting their cassava cultivation adversely as the iguanas, with their sojourning habit, prune the leaves mercilessly and render vegetable farming untenable.
Insecticides have proven futile with these immune iguanas, forcing the villagers to resort to the more expensive option of purchasing vegetables. The communal sentiment is quite dichotomous. On one hand, there is sympathy for these iguanas with their voracious eating wounds. On the other, there is concern over their increased foraging.
An aesthetically pleasing iguana could potentially be a lucrative asset, perhaps a fact contributing to the purported dip in iguana population in certain areas. There’s a growing trend of residents catching them for either sale or personal consumption. The primary markets for these exported reptiles include Vietnam, China, and Malaysia, with the transit routing through Bangkok’s bustling Chatuchak market.
Medical professionals have issued advice, urging people to refrain from touching iguanas due to the risk of potentially contracting diseases, like salmonellosis. Rubber gloves and strict adherence to cleanliness are recommended. Young and old people are more susceptible to contracting the infection. However, the extent of the symptoms hinges on the exposure and the individual’s immune response. Regular disinfection of iguana frequented areas and safeguarding of utensils and water kept in the same vicinity is strongly advised.
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