On June 5th, a nightmare came true. Two near-feral dogs running wild in the East End of the island entered the Botanic Park. They were spotted early in the morning by the lakeside, where staff running to the scene found the Blue Iguana female Sapphire mauled and in shock. She died from internal injuries shortly [...]
The Grand Caymanian Resort played host to the second Species Recovery Programme group meeting. The event was generously hosted by Theresa Foster, providing a suitable habitat at the Resort for discussions, and ensuring that the conservation workers were amply fed and watered. The showing of local and international representatives reflected a broad recognition of the [...]
The staff of the Blue Iguana Recovery Program would like to extend heartfelt thanks to our wonderful Team Blue 2005 volunteers. We miss you all! We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Roger and Mary Bumgarner, who have allowed Team Blue the use of their guest cottages in Boddentown. As the number [...]
In the last issue of Blue Iguana Tales we reported on the release of 23 two-year-old Blue Iguanas into the National Trust’s Salina Reserve. Radio tracking of these animals continued up to the end of January, after which the radio transmitters were removed and the iguanas left to their new lives in the wild, until [...]
The captive breeding facility was undergoing a major expansion (See “Team Blue” in this issue). Major fieldwork was scheduled shortly thereafter, with Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust’s Matt Goetz, and US student Nick Louis arriving in Grand Cayman to help with the release and radio tracking of 24 two-year-old Blue Iguanas in the Salina Reserve.
A report on the status of the Blue Iguana Recovery Program, made after a visit to Grand Cayman in the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan.
February saw the start of this year’s big reward for 2001’s hard work – the release of the first of a dozen two-and-a-half year old iguanas into the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park in Grand Cayman. In previous years at least half of the iguanas released into the Park have migrated elsewhere, and many have [...]
We passed into 2009 with Cayman’s local Esso company raising money for the Blue Iguanas by donating a few cents for every gallon of gasoline sold at all their stations throughout the Cayman Islands. Huge banners, funds-raised ‘thermometers’, staff shirts and Blue Iguana tote bags made it certain that nobody driving around could miss the [...]
Government land protected, new home for wild Blue Iguanas
A landmark decision by the Cayman Islands Government has protected a large area of Blue Iguana habitat in the east interior of Grand Cayman.
This decision is the key which unlocks the huge potential of our strategic plan to save the Grand Cayman Blue Iguana. With this land [...]
The captive breeding and head-starting facility for the Grand Cayman Blue Iguanas, located in the QE II Botanic Park, is no longer viewable from the Park’s woodland trail.
This is an unfortunate consequence of heightened security at the facility, following the killing of seven captive Blue Iguanas in May 2008 – in a case which [...]
