Actions on May 3rd, 2008 that continue to defy comprehension lead to the violent deaths of seven of our iguanas. The news went worldwide within a matter of days and catapulted our shell-shocked team unexpectedly and ill-prerared into the public glare.

Digger, Yellow, Sara, and Eldemire were found dead within the confines of the captive breeding facility by volunteers Stu, Gary and Sheilagh on the morning of Sunday, 4th May. Jessica was still fighting for life and Pedro was missing; … read on….
The Hi-Res pdf file (5.40MB) for BIT’s can be downloaded here.

Thanks to significant sponsorship from local reinsurance company, Greenlight Rd, upgrades are presently under way at the captive facility. Rainwater catchment tanks have been placed on a new foundation slab next to the facility shed, and a small solar power system has been installed by ElectraTech to power a water pump and a 12-volt chest refrigerator for iguana food. Quite apart from the convenience of having pure rainwater for the iguanas and refrigeration on site, without the corresponding utility bills, it’s fitting that our captive facility runs with minimal environmental impact. The Hi-Res pdf file (4.78MB) for BIT’s can be downloaded here.

At last telling, Forrest had valiantly battled his way (past Yellow) to sovereignty of the Botanic Park. Unfortunately, his reign was rather short-lived and he ended in a human-enforced abdication. The females in Forrest’s new territory were all his sisters and, although he had mated with them, many of the resulting eggs proved to be infertile. Unable to persuade him to move further afield, we brought Forrest into the captive facility, where we hope we can offer him more suitable mates than he found in the wild.

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 afterwards. The dogs fled into thte dense thickets to the east. Attempts to trap them were compromised by torrential rain, and some time the following night the dogs returned to the Park, savaged another female, Yellow Blue (who was nesting at the time), and killed Slugger, the Park’s Northern King.

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 value of the Recovery Programme and its tangible achievements to date.

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 of Team Blue members peaked through June, Nigel and Penny Clifford lent us their smart red truck, which was quickly promoted to favorite team vehicle due to its excellent AC capabilities!

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 coming breeding season.

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 been lost to road kills, cat predation and other threats.