Grand Cayman Blue Iguana Recovery Program Helping to Save Reptile
Posted on July 23, 2011
The Blue Iguana Recovery Program is close to succeeding, which is a rarity in conservation efforts. Health experts from the Wildlife Conservation Society's Bronx Zoo and other members of the Blue Iguana Recovery Program say there is a chance for the large, critically endangered iguana to completely recover on Grand Cayman island.
The program has successfully released more than 500 captive-bred reptiles since the initiative's inception in 2002, when the wild population of iguanas numbered less than two dozen. Fred Burton, Director of the Blue Iguana Recovery Program, says they expect to reach a goal of 1,000 iguanas in managed protected areas in the wild within a few years.
The Grand Cayman blue iguana is the largest native species of Grand Cayman island. It can reach over 5 feet in length and sometimes weighs over 25 pounds. The entire island's wild population in 2002 was estimated at only 10-25 individuals. Habitat destruction, car accidents and predation by dogs and cats introduced to its environment reduced its population.