Pass time

From pets to pests. That’s the experience of Taiwan with iguanas.

Taiwanese authorities said owners of the reptile released the lizards into the wild after growing tired of them. Without a natural predator, the iguanas reproduced and increased in number, becoming farm pests on the island.

The government estimates the population of green iguanas to be 200,000 and wants to reduce their number by hunting them down. Last year, 70,000 green iguanas were killed by hunters and the general public, who were paid for each lizard they eliminated, Focus Taiwan reported

For 2025, the government has set a budget of 20 million New Taiwan Dollars (NTDs) to pay for the culling of 120,000 iguanas. Hunters would be paid 500 NTDs for every lizard killed that is 30 centimeters or longer and 200 NTDs for each reptile under 30 centimeters long. Non-hunters would be paid 250 NTDs and 100 NTDs per kill, respectively.

Meanwhile, butterfly collector Steve Collins of Kenya wants to sell his collection as he is already too old to care for them.

The veteran agronomist and founder of the African Butterfly Research Institute is 74. Additionally, he no longer has space to keep his framed butterflies.

Collins hopes to sell the collection to an individual or research institution for $8 million.

The lepidopterist has been catching and framing butterflies since he was five and has 4.2 million framed and enveloped insects to date that he wants to pass on to someone for future generations.