The feral and nuisance animal control program has been implemented on county lands to control non-native or nuisance wildlife species. Feral hog control is the primary focus of this program.

Feral hogs root up the ground in search of food and can cause extensive habitat damage. In addition, hogs compete with native wildlife for available food and can displace more desirable native species such as deer and turkeys.

On occasion, control of nuisance animals such as raccoons is also warranted due to the absence of large predatory animals that historically kept their numbers down.

Help us track exotic lizards
Sarasota needs your help tracking and monitoring iguanas and Nile monitor lizards that are posing a serious threat to endangered native species like the gopher tortoise, Florida Scrub-jay and sea turtle. Iguanas can exceed three feet in length, and Nile monitors can easily approach seven feet at adulthood. They’re adaptable to different environments and are impressive diggers, agile climbers and graceful swimmers. Unfortunately, all of this is what makes them such a formidable predator capable of serious ecological damage if not managed.

Where they are
Breeding populations of black spiny-tailed iguanas have been sighted in most south county parks and a handful of neighborhoods as far north as Siesta Key. In 2007, two monitor lizards were removed from the Pinelands Reserve near the central county landfill, and more have been spotted at the T. Mabry Carlton Jr. Memorial Reserve.

What they eat
Iguanas eat a combination of plants, insects, lizards and other small animals, including nesting birds and eggs. Nile monitors have a much heartier appetite and can subdue fairly large prey, such as burrowing owls, small mammals, even young alligators.

What is Sarasota County doing?
Sarasota County has been tracking and removing large exotic lizards from public lands since 2004, when two iguanas showed up at Lemon Bay Park. It’s illegal to release or relocate one of these animals, and county staff suspect those first two were pets that grew too large or dangerous for their owners. The rapid influx of the black spiny-tailed iguanas now reproducing in Sarasota County are probably offspring of the population that has gained such a stronghold on Gasparilla Island in Charlotte and Lee counties. The monitor lizards inhabiting this area may still be the result of irresponsible pet owners, but they could also indicate a northern progression of the wild breeding population in Lee County.

Sarasota County scientists are developing a plan to reduce or eradicate the invasive lizards. Population levels locally are still low enough to respond to a proactive approach that may prevent a repeat of the costly, ongoing battle being fought against these reptiles throughout southwest Florida.

Leave it to the professionals!
Trapping and removing these lizards does not require a permit, but it should be attempted only by an experienced trapper. Monitor lizards and black spiny-tailed iguanas may become aggressive towards pets or people if they feel threatened. Anyone who sees an iguana or monitor lizard, or has questions about the county’s exotic lizard management efforts can contact the Sarasota County Call Center at 941-861-5000 and ask for the exotic lizard management program, or contact Project Scientist Kenya Leonard by e-mail at kleonard@scgov.net