The large lizard, also known as the Grand Cayman ground iguana, Grand Cayman blue iguana or Cayman Island rock iguana is listed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The Blue Iguana Conservation program along with the National Trust for the Grand Cayman Islands announced the successful hatching of six Grand Cayman blue iguanas (Cyclura lewisi) in its captive breeding program. This marks the first hatchings of the season. According to the BIC, additional eggs were recovered from outside the facility that was threatened by flooding due to Hurricane Beryl and are in incubators.
“The use of incubators, monitoring the eggs, and the hatchlings, has been a vital component of success for the Blue Iguana Conservation programme. The newborn hatchlings are cared for and monitored in the incubators for about a week before being placed at the Blue Iguana Conservation Nursery,” Joseph Jamieson, BIC Assistant Manager said in a press release announcing the hatchings.
In 2023, 100 iguanas were released back into the wild by BIC in Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park, The Salina Reserve and Colliers Wilderness Reserve.
Blue Iguana Conservation Produces 60 Hatchlings In 2020
Grand Cayman Blue Iguana Comes Back From The Brink Of Extinction
Donations to help support the BIC can be made via www.nationaltrust.org.ky.
The large lizard, also known as the Grand Cayman ground iguana, Grand Cayman blue iguana or Cayman Island rock iguana is listed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The lizard is one of the largest iguanas, at around five feet and weighing 30 pounds. In the wild, it feeds primarily on fruits and vegetables. Initial efforts to maintain and breed the reptiles were hampered by initially feeding the iguana cat food. When the keepers started feeding them fruits and vegetables, they began to thrive. The reptile has suffered on its island habitat, with its young decimated by feral cats. The lizard also has a penchant for sunning on the island’s roadways, where the lizards are then struck by motor vehicles.
