Hi all,
Whilst I know this animal is not water based, like our hobby, I also know that quite a lot of you have been to Grand Cayman for diving and photography. Maybe during this trip you took some time out on a surface interval to go visit these majestic Blue Dragons in their home at the Botanical Park.
Also knowing that a most of us are also interested in conservation in some form I thought it may be of some benefit to post this and inform any interested members of wetpixel about recent events.
Excerpts from their press releases:
Six critically endangered Grand Cayman Blue Iguanas were killed by unknown persons late on Saturday evening, in the QE II Botanic Park. The crime was discovered by volunteers with the National Trust's Blue Iguana Recovery Programme, shortly after 9am on Sunday morning.
The iguanas appeared to have massive internal injuries, as if they had been stamped on violently and repeatedly. Some were also cut and partially dismembered. Three were found dead inside their breeding pens, two had been carried out of their pens and left in the tour area outside. The body of the sixth is still missing, but entrails on the trail outside his pen are a grim sign of his fate.
Full reports can be found both BlueIguana.ky and Caymaniac.ky.
If you are a fan of Grand Cayman and it's wildlife this is certainly one cause that is at least worth reading about and if you are interested even donate to the Blue Iguana Recovery Programme to aid them to recover and prevent this from happening again. Also although the Press release states 6 there has now been a 7th that died 3 days later.
RIP these 7 beautiful and majestic creatures
