iguana volume 10, number 1 m a r c h 2003 us$6 annual meeting, santo domingo, dominican repiblic...

Cyclura ricordii, Ricords Iguana. Photographed in the Dominican Republic by John Binns.

IGUANAJournal of the International Iguana Society www.iguanasociety.org

Vo l u m e 1 0 , N u m b e r 1 M a r c h 2 0 0 3 U S $ 6 . 0 0

I.I.S. 2002 Board of DirectorsJoseph WasilewskiPresidentHomestead, FL

Robert W. EhrigFounder and Vice PresidentBig Pine Key, FL

A. C. Echternacht, PhDTreasurerKnoxville, TN

AJ GutmanSecretary and Membership Coordinator West Hartford, CT

Robert Powell, PhDDirectorKansas City, MO

John BinnsDirectorSan Jose, CA

Iguana andI.I.S. Website StaffRobert Powell, PhDEditorDepartment of BiologyAvila UniversityKansas City, MO

AJ GutmanEditorial and FulfillmentCoordinatorWest Hartford, CT

Michael RipcaProduction Manager and Design CoordinatorLeaping Lizards Graphic DesignAtco, NJ

John BinnsInternet AdministratorSan Jose, CA

John BendonIllustrator / PhotographerBath, England

Pirolli Printing PrinterBellmawr, NJ

I.I.S. 2002 Editorial BoardAllison C. Alberts, PhDZoological Society of San DiegoSan Diego, CA

Gordon M. Burghardt, PhDUniversity of TennesseeKnoxville, TN

Keith Christian, PhDNorthern Territory UniversityDarwin, NT, Australia

John B. Iverson, PhDEarlham CollegeRichmond, IN

Gordon H. Rodda, PhDUS Fish and Wildlife ServiceFt. Collins, CO

I.I.S. 2002 Advisory BoardJohn BendonLiasonBath, England

Gordon M. Burghardt, PhDUniversity of TennesseeKnoxville, TN

Chuck KnappGainesville, FL

Richard Montanucci, PhDClemson UniversityClemson, SC

Richard MoyroudMesozoic LandscapesWest Palm Beach, FL

Michael E. RipcaAtco, NJ

Statement of PurposeThe International Iguana Society, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation dedicatedto preserving the biological diversity of iguanas. We believe that the best wayto protect iguanas and other native plants and animals is to preserve naturalhabitats and to encourage development of sustainable economies compatiblewith the maintenance of biodiversity. To this end, we will: (1) engage in activeconservation, initiating, assisting, and funding conservation efforts incooperation with U.S. and international governmental and private agencies;(2) promote educational efforts related to the preservation of biodiversity; (3)build connections between individuals and the academic, zoo, and conserva-tion communities, providing conduits for education and for involving thegeneral public in efforts to preserve endangered species; and (4) encouragethe dissemination and exchange of information on the ecology, populationbiology, behavior, captive husbandry, taxonomy, and evolution of iguanas.

Membership InformationIguana, the Journal of The International Iguana Society, is distributed quarterlyto members and member organizations. Annual dues:Individual U.S. and Canadian Membership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $25.00Individual Foreign Membership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $35.00U.S. and Canadian Organizational Membership* . . . . . . . . . . . . $35.00Foreign Organizational Membership* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $45.00

(*receives double copies of Iguana)

Additional copies are available at a cost of $6.00 including postage.

Write to:The International Iguana Society, Inc.133 Steele RoadWest Hartford, CT 06119

Membership questions? Call AJ at 860-236-8203.

OR VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT: www.iguanasociety.org

SolicitationsMembers of the I.I.S. are encouraged to contribute articles, letters to the Editor,news items, and announcements for publication in Iguana. General articles can deal with any aspect of iguana biology, including conservation, behavior,ecology, physiology, systematics, or husbandry. Submission of photographs toaccompany articles is encouraged.

Manuscripts based on original research are solicited to communicate recentfindings not only to other scientists but to the general. We wish to instill in our readers a greater appreciation for scientific research and a betterunderstanding of how it can contribute to the conservation of threatenediguana populations or the well-being of captive specimens. Research Articleswill be subjected to peer review, and should be fairly general in scope (i.e.,manuscripts having extremely detailed theoretical or statistical bases shouldbe submitted to more appropriate journals). Manuscripts of any length will be considered, and must be accompanied by an abstract of correspondinglength. Authors can expect rapid turnaround time for the reviews and quickpublication of acceptable material. Research Articles will be cited as appearingin the Journal of the International Iguana Society, and will be forwarded to the major citation and abstract journals. Research Updates should becomparatively brief and written in non-technical language. They will not besubjected to peer review. Submission of photographs to accompany researchreports is encouraged.

Manuscripts may be submitted via e-mail (send to [email protected]).For any contribution, please include your name, address, phone number, ande-mail address.

Authors of one page or more of print are entitled to five copies of the issue in which their article appears.

Advertising Policy of IguanaWe advertise only non-living products (except feeder insects). All products havebeen examined and been found to be high quality and fairly priced. ContactI.I.S., 133 Steele Road, West Hartford, CT 06119, for more information.

Editors RemarksAs you may have noticed, the title of the Journal of the International IguanaSociety has changed from the Iguana Times to Iguana. The editorial staff andthe board agreed that the journal has long since surpassed what would beexpected of a newsletter, a status implied by the former title. We felt thatIguana would be a more fitting title for the journal that represents the diverseinterests of the IIS membership.

You also will see in this issue the second Species Profile (the first appeared in the last issue). These will become a regular feature of Iguana, with eachfocusing on a non-iguanid species that shares its habitat with an iguanafeatured in one of the articles. We hope that you will enjoy these little foraysinto the broader world of herpetology.

Bob Powell and AJ Gutman

Iguana Copyright 2003 by The International Iguana Society, Inc., 133 Steele Road, West Hartford, CT 06119 USA. ISSN # 1098-6324. The contents of Iguana, excluding ResearchArticles, Research Updates, and reprinted articles, may be reproduced for inclusion in the newsletters of other herpetological societies, provided the material is reproduced withoutchange and with appropriate credits, and a copy of the publication is sent to The International Iguana Society. Occasional exceptions may be made to this policy.

Iguana 10.1 3/2/03 11:10 AM Page 2

2002 Iguana Specialist GroupConference

John Bendon and John Binns

International Iguana Society and Iguana Specialist Group

The IUCN/SSC Iguana Specialist Group(ISG) held its annual meeting in November 2002in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (DR).The DR occupies about two-thirds of the island ofHispaniola whereas the Republic of Hati occupiesthe remainder. Hispaniola is the only island onwhich two species of Rock Iguanas (Cyclura) aresympatric: C. cornuta, the Rhinoceros Iguana, andC. ricordii, Ricords Iguana.

The conference was hosted jointly by theParque Zoolgico Nacional (ZooDom) in SantoDomingo, Grupo Jaragua, a non-governmentalorganization (NGO) devoted to the conservationof Dominican natural resources, and the CoralResorts. Although the agenda was typically broad,the focus of the meeting and a subsequent work-shop was the status of Cyclura ricordii (p. 4).

The International Union for the Conservationof Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) hasestablished the Species Survival Commission (SSC),within which about 70 Specialist Groups (includ-ing the ISG) address threats to the continuing exis-tence of particular plants and animals. Informationfrom each group is used to classify threatenedspecies by categories ranging from vulnerable tocritically endangered. In all, about 7000 peoplework directly to enhance the chances for the sur-vival of plants and animals. Zoologists, many ofwhom are zoo curators or university lecturers, gov-ernment officials, representative of NGOs, or indi-viduals from the private sector all give freely of theirtime.

Following the opening welcome message, themeeting agenda continued with presentations byeach of the endangered or threatened species pro-ject representatives. Each of their reports high-lighted project successes and disappointments, andall contained a common thread of deep concernfor the species recovery. This years bittersweetpresentations included a report on the successfulimplementation of the Blue Iguana Species

3IguanaMarch 2003

Cyclura ricordii at ZooDom. Photograph by John Bendon.

Allison Alberts, Jos Ottenwalder, Quentin Bloxam, SixtoInchustegui, and Fred Burton (from left to right) at the ISGmeeting. Photograph by John Bendon.

Iguana Specialist Group2002 Annual Meeting, Santo Domingo, Dominican Repiblic

November 14-18

Iguana 10.1 3/2/03 11:10 AM Page 3

4 Iguana Volume 10, Number 1

Cyclura ricordii, classified as critically endangeredon the IUCN Red List, is known only from theDominican Republic. Populations occur on Isla Cabritosin Lago Enriquillo, two sites near Lago Enriquillo, twolocations at Loma del Guano near the southern tip ofthe Barahona Peninsula in Jaragua National Park inPedernales Province, and another near Cabo Rojo onthe western side of the Peninsula. The total area of allsites combined is less than100 km2.

All populations appearto be declining. For exam-ple, a 1985 survey on IslaCabritos resulted in anestimated iguana densityof 8/ha, but the popula-tion had dropped to anestimated 1.33/ha by2000. Recent total popu-lation estimates rangefrom 24000 individualsat the six locations.

However, in light of the 2000 survey work, those esti-mates may have to be reduced to fewer than 1500animals.

Past efforts at captive breeding have met with lit-tle success. However, in 2002, ZooDom (ParqueZoolgico Nacional in Santo Domingo) successfullyproduced a clutch of C. ricordii from their very smallcaptive population.

(Left) Adult Cycluraricordii at ZooDom.Photograph by John Binns.

(Above) A pair ofCyclura ricordii hatch-lings at ZooDom. Thedark areas on the sidesof each animals areindividual identificationnumbers. Photographby John Binns.

Current Status of Cyclura ricordii

Adapted from a Report by Sixto Inchustegui, Grupo Jaragua

Iguana 10.1 3/2/03 11:10 AM Page 4

Recovery Plan headed by Fred Burton. An ele-ment of that plan, the population assessment onGrand Cayman, revealed that the Blue Iguana hasreached a point of functional extinction, with only1025 animals remaining in the wild. RachelGoodman highlighted her work on GrandCayman tracking free-ranging Blue Iguanas withinthe Botanic Park (see article on p. 15).

Ron Carter, from Loma Linda University,brought alarming news of Cyclura rileyi rileyi, theSan Salvador Rock Iguana. The devastation ofremaining populations has been dramatically accel-erated by hurricanes, rats, and poaching, theresults of which have left this species in a criticalsituation and complicated recovery measures. In atwist of fate, the poached iguanas were relocatedto the local Club Med, where they are reportedlybreeding and appear to be larger and healthierthan those in their natural habitat.

Chuck Knapp, of the Shedd Aquarium, dis-cussed the plight of the Andros Island Iguana(Cyclura cychlura cychlura). The increased pres-ence of hunters using guns and dogs has almostwiped out the entire population of iguanas in hisresearch area. On the bright side, he described thesuccessful translocation of Exuma Island Iguanas(Cyclura cychlura figginsi) to establish a secondpopulation, increasing the chances of survival ofthe species in case of natural disasters.

The Anegada or Stout Iguana (Cyclurapinguis) received considerable attention. Issuesincluded recovery, limited head-start releases, andrelocation. Glenn Gerber detailed the current sit-uation on Anegada and the need to augment the

declining and agedpopulation of wildCyclura pinguis with alimited release of head-started captives. Inaddition, a new popu-lation assessment was proposed for mid-2003 to properlyconfigure elements of the Cyclura pinguisSpecies Recovery Plancurrently being drafted.Both of these measureswere approved by theISG Steering Commit-

tee. John Binns reported on the population assess-ment of Cyclura pinguis conducted with JamesLazell and Numi Mitchell on Guana and Neckerislands, BVI. Some 120140 animals constitute thesecond population on Guana, and another 30 ani-mals the third population on Necker.

Additional reports included Karen Grahamsaccount of the Saint Lucian Iguana (Iguanaiguana), which may represent a distinct species.Alberto Alvarez reported successes in managingthe Mona Island Iguana (C. cornuta stejnegeri).Miguel Garcia discussed overpopulation of theCuban Iguana (C. nubila nubila) on IslaMagueyes. Rick Hudson reported on the JamaicanIguana (C. collei), Glenn Gerber described the suc-cessful relocation of Turks and Caicos Iguanas (C. carinata carinata) to various cays within thearchipelago, and Joe Wasilewski and John Bendonprovided an update of IIS efforts on behalf ofBartschis Iguana (C. carinata bartschi).

Next years meeting will be held in the Turksand Caicos Islands, site of an ongoing transloca-tion effort to enhance the survival of the Turks andCaicos Iguana (Cyclura carinata carinata).

A Field Trip to Isla Cabritos National Park

Some members of the ISG participated in aZooDom-sponsored field trip to Parque NacionalIsla Cabritos. This island lies in Lago Enriquillo, abelow-sea level, hypersaline lake that was once partof the marine channel separating the HispaniolanNorth and South paleoislands. Populations of bothendemic species of Cyclura occur on the island.

5IguanaMarch 2003

2002 ISG Annual Meeting in the Dominican Republic. Participants included: QuentinBloxam, Fred Burton, Jos Ottenwalder, Rick Hudson, Alberto Alvarez, Peter Tolson, EdwinVargas, Jan Ramer, Dale McGinnity, Allison Alberts, Glenn Gerber, Rachel Goodman, TandoraGrant, Jeff Lemm, Chuck Knapp, Tom Wiewandt, Andy Verhey. Photograph by John Binns.

Iguana 10.1 3/2/03 11:10 AM Page 5

The valley in which the lake is situated, protectedto both the north and south by high mountainranges, acts as a heat sink. As a result, the temper-atures frequently exceed 40C. The island is char-acterized by white sandy soil, low topography with

a central incline, and patchy dry forest composed ofsucculents, such as aged Neobottia tree cactus andshrub-like Cylindropuntia caribea, a few palms andepiphytes, and scattered deciduous trees capable ofwithstanding the harsh, dry conditions.

The trip was strenuous, involving four hourseach way in a bus and an hour each way in a boat,which sadly limited time on the island to a shortperiod in the middle of the day, not an ideal timefor viewing iguanas, most of which were escapingthe heat by retreating into their burrows. Cycluracornuta was common, but C. ricordii was scarce.

On the main island opposite Isla Cabritos, anumber of Cyclura cornuta have become habitu-ated to humans. They were commonly encoun-tered on the paths through the scrub woodlandthat characterized the shoreline and the areaaround the visitors center. Iguanas of all sizes pro-vided ample evidence that they were breeding suc-cessfully every year.


Cyclura ricordii on Isla Cabritos, the top individual wasseeking shelter from the mid-day heat near the opening of itsburrow. Photographs by John Bendon and Joe Wasilewski.

The boat ride to Isla Cabritos. Photograph by Joe Wasilewski.

The ISG group was greeted on arrival by Rhinoceros Iguanashabituated to humans. Photograph by Joe Wasilewski.

Large adult male Cyclura ricordii in natural habitat on IslaCabritos. Note the dry-climate-adapted vegetation.Photograph by John Binns.

Iguana 10.1 3/2/03 11:10 AM Page 6

A Trip to ZooDomA trip on the final day of the meeting to

ZooDom included a delicious buffet lunch and ashort speech by the director, Dr. Alfonso Ferreira,who thanked the ISG for coming and contribut-ing valuable advice and assistance.

ZooDom is well known in the reptile world asthe principal breeding center for RhinocerosIguanas. Offspring are not sold to the public Cyclura cornuta, like all Rock Iguanas, is protectedunder provisions of the Convention forInternational Trade in Endangered Species(CITES). However, many approved institutionsthroughout the world have been the recipients ofanimals bred at the zoo. The public display inwhich iguanas live is a large, oval habitat sur-rounded, like most other exhibits at the zoo, by a

deep trench. The terrain within the enclosure wasdotted with rocks and cacti and other naturallyoccurring vegetation. The iguanas had plenty ofspace and appeared to behave as they would in the

7IguanaMarch 2003

Rhinoceros Iguanas on exhibit at ZooDom appear to behavenaturally. Photograph by Joe Wasilewski.

A Rhinoceros Iguana (Cyclura cornuta) crossing the roadnear the visitors center at Lago Enriquillo. Photograph byJoe Wasilewski.

After the island visit, the ZooDom veterinary staff treatedthe ISG group to a typical Dominican meal at the IguanaHotel. Photograph by John Bendon.

ZooDom director Dr.Alfonso Ferreira holding two recentlyhatched Cyclura ricordii. Photograph by John Bendon.

Iguana 10.1 3/2/03 11:10 AM Page 7

wild. The off-exhibit holding pens similarly housedmany iguanas, some of which were destined forexport.

Newly-hatched Cyclura ricordii, quaran-tined in the ZooDom veterinary facility, are quiterare in captivity. These young Ricords Iguanas arecontinually monitored and afforded every oppor-tunity to increase their chance of survival. Theattending zoo veterinarian mentioned that the cur-rently offered food was not being consumed asreadily as they had expected. ISG members view-ing these young animals suggested including in thediet crickets dusted with vitamins and calcium andHibiscus flowers that were abundant on the zoogrounds. The latter are a favorite with mostiguanas. Between the rows of clinic buildings,fencing has been installed to provide enclosurespace for literally hundreds of young RhinocerosIguanas. In an ingenious use of space, the closeproximity to the surrounding facilities affords con-tinual monitoring of these young iguanas.

AcknowledgementsThe following persons (listed in alphabetical

order) were instrumental in assuring the success of the 2002 ISG Meeting. Their hospitality wasendless and their contributions to the meetinginestimable. We thank them all.

Yvonne Arias, Grupo JaraguaJosefa Castro, ZooDomAngelica Espinal, ZooDomCladio Vladimir Eusebio, Acuario NacionalAlfonso Ferreira, ZooDomSixto J. Inchustegui, Grupo JaraguaJos A. Ottenwalder, AeroDomRoberto Maria, ZoodomEnrique Pugibet, Acuario NacionalDeyanira Rubio, ZooDomErnst Rupp, Grupo JaraguaGloria Santana, Depto. Vida SilvestreAndreas Schubert, Programa Mediambiental

Transforesterio Haiti-RDElizabeth Maria Skeet Garcia, ZooDom


Cyclura ricordii hatchling at ZooDom.Photograph by John Binns

Cyclura cornuta on exhibitat ZooDom. Photographby John Bendon.

Iguana 10.1 3/2/03 11:10 AM Page 8

9IguanaMarch 2003

The 2002 Annual Meeting of the IUCN/SSCIguana Specialist Group and the Recovery PlanningWorkshop for Ricords Iguana (Cyclura ricordii) washosted by Dr. Alphonso Ferreira, Director, ParqueZoolgico Nacional (ZooDom) and the Coral Resortsin the Dominican Republic. The intense two-dayrecovery planning workshop was facilitated byFrederic J. Burton using his template for the BlueIguana Species Recovery Plan.

Summarized, the Ricords Iguana SpeciesRecovery Plan includes the following components: (1)Rapid surveys will be conducted in order to map allareas in which Ricords Iguanas still occur along witha more detailed survey of the protected populationon Isla Cabritos in Lago Enriquillo. The results of thesesurveys will provide information necessary to proposeprotection of all areas critical to the survival of thisspecies, including an extension of Parque NacionalJaragua in the Cabo Rojo area, already under consid-eration. (2) Major public awareness and educationefforts in areas where Ricords Iguanas still occur will be implementedprimarily by GrupoJaragua in order todevelop local commu-nity support. In SantoDomingo, the role ofZooDom in enhancingpublic awareness willbe expanded. (3) Onceinitial studies are com-

plete, a planning workshop will review results todefine terms of reference for a future managementplan in protected areas supporting Ricords Iguanapopulations. (4) Threats posed by predation and habi-tat degradation will be prioritized and then progres-sively managed to reduce or eliminate the causativeagents in protected areas. Restoration of endemicvegetation in degraded areas also will be attempted.(5) In order to effectively address the many issueslikely to influence conservation management, addi-tional research on distribution, abundance, and ecol-ogy will be conducted. (6) A feasibility study of cap-tive husbandry and propagation will be implementedusing the two adult pairs currently at ZooDom. If theanimals successfully reproduce, offspring may beused in other locations in Santo Domingo and ParqueNacional Jaragua area to educate and enhance pub-lic awareness. (7) Funding for the Ricords IguanaSpecies Recovery Plan will be obtained from local andinternational grants. In addition, the sale of retailproducts in the Dominican Republic and internation-

ally may supplementfunds acquired fromother sources.

When approved,the Ricords IguanaSpecies Recovery Planwill be administered by the newly formedRicords Iguana Recov-ery Group in theDominican Republic,with support from theIUCN-SSC Iguana Spe-cialist Group and theInternational IguanaFoundation (IIF).

Summary of the Proposed Cyclura ricordiiSpecies Recovery Plan

(Left) Grazing donkeys pose ongoing problems for the recovery of natural vegetation on Isla Cabritos. The mountains in the background shelter the valley and the island from prevailing winds and contribute to the very hot, dry climate. Photograph by John Binns.

(Above) Cyclura ricordii at ZooDom.Photograph by John Bendon.

Iguana 10.1 3/2/03 11:10 AM Page 9


About four hundred adult Turks andCaicos Rock Iguanas (Cyclura carinatacarinata) are kissing the ground of theirnew home on Long Cay in the Caicos

Bank. All of them were scooped out of the pathsof bulldozers on Big Ambergris Cay, where a newresort development is in the early stages of con-struction.

Big Ambergris Cay supports one of the lastlarge populations of these animals and it liter-ally teems with them. Iguanas occupy every suit-able square inch of habitat on the island. Becauseall of the usable space is taken, iguanas that findthemselves in the way of roadbeds, houses, andcanals have nowhere to go as their habitat disap-pears.

Equally substantial populations existed onlydecades ago on Providenciales, North, Middle,East, and South Caicos, and on the smaller cays in

between. The mistake made again and again aseach island was developed was to think: No prob-lem were practically tripping over these lizardswith every footstep. How could they ever becomeendangered? Only in hindsight did we realize thatpopulations of rough-and-tumble dinosaur-likelizards could actually be fragile. We now know thatthey cannot coexist with larger mammals, particu-larly cats, grazing animals, and humans. In fact,predation, competition, and habitat loss caused bythese seemingly innocuous sources had wiped out95% of the worlds population of the unique Turksand Caicos Rock Iguana by the mid-1900s.

In 1999, when development on BigAmbergris Cay began in earnest, the governmentwas determined not to repeat the same iguana-extinction scenario that had already occurred onevery large developed island in the Turks andCaicos (TCI). That year, TCIs Department of

Another Chance for the Turks and Caicos Rock Iguana

Numi MitchellThe Conservation Agency

Cyclura carinata carinata (female). Photograph by John Binns

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Environment andCoastal Resources(DECR) teamed upwith The ConservationAgency and theDenver Zoo, whoclaimed they could finda home for some of thedisplaced lizards. Theislands owner, HenryMensen, agreed tohelp.

This was easier saidthan done. The prob-lem was findinganother, or severalother, suitable islands.You couldnt just moveiguanas to any islandthat currently had noiguanas. If the islandhad humans and theusual entourage offree-ranging cats, dogs,and livestock, it was immediately disqualified. Theteam needed to find islands without iguanas thatalso were otherwise uninhabited. Two types werefound: (1) very small islands which, because of lackof fresh water, would not support cats, dogs, orlivestock, and (2) larger islands with some fresh

water that had free ranging cats or livestock thathad been released and had survived.

The Conservation Agency, Denver Zoo, andDECR were interested in a long-term solution,and the team was curious as to why the smallercays that were obviously capable of supporting per-manent populations of iguanas didnt already havethem. They suspected that hurricanes were themajor problem; during storms, small, lower-profileislands can overwash completely. The team choseto tackle a larger island with some topographicrelief, in spite of the fact that the habitat wouldfirst have to be repaired.

One island stood out: Long Cay, neighboringSouth Caicos, a thin, unpopulated, 3-mile-longisland with a backbone of 100-foot limestonecliffs, sandy scarps, and grassy plains and salt-marshes on the sheltered western side. The 260-acre island was government-owned and alreadypart of the Admiral Cockburn Nature Reserve.The beauty of Long Cay was striking from the clifftops and the habitat was perfect except for onefatal flaw it supported a population of hungrydomestic cats whose unwanted ancestors had beenreleased there years ago. Cats are very efficientpredators and the relatively small Turks and CaicosIguanas are quite vulnerable to them, particularly

11IguanaMarch 2003

In June 2000, theNation celebratedthe return of theTurks and CaicosIguana to LongCay duringEnvironmentWeek as JuliaJones, wife of his Excellency,Governor MervynJones, ceremoni-ally cut the ribbonand the iguanasraced across theline into the lushbush of theirancestral home.Numi Mitchell in the dark dressand Julia Jones in the light dress.Note the iguanarunning to Numis right. Photographer: Beth Outten.

Cyclura carinata carinata (young male). Photograph by John Binns

Iguana 10.1 3/2/03 11:11 AM Page 11

in the early morning when iguanas are cold andslow. A population of iguanas was known to haveexisted on Long Cay in the 1970s, and individualshad been seen sporadically as recently as the 1990s but the introduction of cats had made it impos-sible for iguanas to survive on the cay.

The Conservation Agency and Denver Zooconferred and concluded that things could beworse. Long Cay could have goats, sheep, pigs,cows, donkeys, dogs, and cats. It had only cats,and not many at that. They took a vote anddecided that, with the help of the DECR, theycould restore Long Cay and bring the iguanashome.

In June 1999, the team tackled the job ofclearing the island of the 510 cats whose presencewould make iguana recolonization impossible.Using a combination of toxic bait (1080, a plantderivative used successfully in New Zealand tocontrol feral cats and Australian opossums) andbox traps, they mounted an intensive campaign.

By January 2000, they were confident that allof the cats were gone. The island was safe foriguanas and, with the help of many game volun-teers, the team began catching and moving groupsof iguanas from Big Ambergris to the now pristineLong Cay. What kind of people like catchingiguanas? You would be surprised. TheConservation Agency, Denver Zoo, and theDECR had no trouble finding assistants whoenthusiastically agreed to be baked in the sun,serve as dart boards for thousands of mosquitoes,and be scratched, sometimes severely, by thornscrub. Local volunteers came from South Caicos,

Grand Turk, Pine Cay, and Provo to steal aroundthe bush tossing iguanas, as noosing is locallycalled. They used fishing poles with 200-lb-testmonofilament loops at the end. Some folksclaimed that a whistled rendition of YankeeDoodle Dandy would allow you to sneak up oniguanas more easily but, after noosing a couple ofhundred myself, I can say it doesnt really makemuch difference. Nevertheless, people tended tostick with this method and, on capture days in thebaking bush of Big Ambergris, one could alwayshear at least six asynchronous versions in at leastthree different keys.

Whistling or not, a hunter had to sneak up onan iguana and then distract it so it wouldnt noticethe noose being slipped around its neck. Thataccomplished, with a flick of the wrist, the huntertweaked the noose tight and lunged forward tograb the furiously flailing iguana. Males turned outto be relatively easy to noose because of their atti-tude they stand their ground, even pumpingthemselves up on stiff legs to look larger as youapproach. Females tended to be shy and more aptto try to slip away. Neither is shy when noosed,however. Hunters who made the mistake ofputting their hands too close to the mouth of an


Volunteer VirginiaGingee Brewersigned on for theexpedition. Onher first trip shecoerced five ofher associates tohelp with theeffort. She isinterested in bothscience andconservation buthas an additionalconcern: she is ahomeowner onPine Cay.Photographs byNumi Mitchell

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13IguanaSeptember 2002

indignant noosed iguana became charter membersof The Bite Club. People almost always becamemembers of The Bite Club immediately afterlaughing at others who had become members justbefore them.

Boatloads of 25100 iguanas, traveling withtheir overheated, sore-muscled captors (most ofwhom were fantasizing about icy cold beer), weremoved from Big Ambergris to the DECR lab onSouth Caicos, where they were held overnight.Animals were weighed, measured, and each receiveda unique internal transponder tag that would allowresearchers to identify them if they were recaptured.The following day, they were released on Long Cay.Some sported radiocollars and were monitored forthe next couple of months as they established them-selves on their new island home.

While The Conservation Agency, Denver Zoo,and DECR provided the principal workforce, vol-unteers continued to help in many ways, particu-larly while radiotracking the new settlers andrecapturing them to check their weights and con-ditions. Many offered to help kids, fishermen,grandmothers, and government officials anyoneadventurous, curious, or concerned. Even hisExcellency, Governor Mervyn Jones, and his wifeJulia came to Long Cay to pitch in.

In June 2000, the nation celebrated the returnof iguanas to Long Cay during EnvironmentWeek. Julia Jones cut the ceremonial ribbon and

the iguanas raced across the line into the lush bushof their ancestral home.

Since that summer celebration, the iguanas onLong Cay have been thriving. All rapidly foundburrows (many of which were probably onceoccupied by their ancestors) and apparently foundplenty to eat. Iguanas on the cay are proportion-ately fatter than those from Big Ambergris and arebrightly colored (indicating that they are growingrapidly and frequently shedding their skin). One-and two-year-old babies are easy to see on theisland a fact attributable to the absence of cats.

Today, thanks to The Conservation Agency,the Denver Zoo, and the DECR, Long Cay is aGarden of Eden for the rescued iguanas and theiroffspring. In the big picture, though, it is only one

Cyclura carinata carinata. Photograph by John Binns

Cyclura carinata carinata (male). Photograph by John Binns

Cyclura carinata carinata. Photograph by John Binns

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basket of eggs. We need numbers of otherreserves, and initiatives like those by the Turks andCaicos National Trust in setting aside the ChalkSound, Little Water Cay, and Little AmbergrisReserves, and current efforts by the San DiegoZoo to repopulate smaller cays, help to insure thatthe endemic Turks and Caicos Rock Iguana found no where else in the world survives.From the perspective of The Conservation Agencyand the Denver Zoo, restoration work needs tocontinue. More candidate island homesites mustbe found and repaired by removing non-nativewildlife that preys on, competes with, or otherwiseundermines native or unique Turks and Caicosspecies.

Restoring habitat for iguanas will restore habi-tat for other native animals local and migratory.We all will start to see a wider range of nativewildlife reappearing in the TCI. For now, thehomeless iguanas of Big Ambergris will continueto provide opportunities to restock many of theislands on which this endemic lizard belongs.


Numi Mitchell photographed during a hike in mid-dayheat. Photograph by John Binns

Long Cay, Turks and Caicos.

Photographs by Numi Mitchell

Iguana 10.1 3/2/03 11:11 AM Page 14

Among the jagged limestone rock and dryforest vegetation, I spot one of theworlds most endangered lizardssprawled on a fallen palm frond and

basking in the sun. This magnificent creature, withdramatic red eyes and nearly four feet of brightblue scales, is the endemic Grand Cayman BlueIguana, Cyclura nubila lewisi. Hoping for a closerglance, I hold my breath and creep slowly forwarduntil I am only a few feet away. No reaction yet...Step by step, I stealthily approach until hows

this? I am only inches away from this apparentlybored iguana?! Though free to flee, Old Yeller, asone yellow bead in this iguanas crest identifieshim, calmly lies there like a log as numerous staffand visitors to his home pass by on a regular basis.

Old Yellow is one of about twenty free-roaming Blue Iguanas at the Queen Elizabeth IIBotanic Park (QEIIBP) on Grand Cayman. Theseanimals were bred onsite and released at 23 yearsof age. The iguanas in this population are few,young (the oldest is eight years old), live in an

Studying the Worlds Most EndangeredRock Iguana, Cyclura nubila lewisi

Rachel M. GoodmanUniversity of Tennessee, Knoxville

15IguanaMarch 2003

Female Grand Cayman Blue Iguana (Cyclura nubila lewisi) named Carley. This animal was hatched in the wild and capturedby a local Caymanian who kept her until he recently donated her to the breeding facility at Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park.Photograph by Fred Burton

Iguana 10.1 3/2/03 11:11 AM Page 15

unnatural setting, and are, for the most part,highly habituated to humans. Despite these oddi-ties, the study of these iguanas is critical for thesurvival of C. n. lewisi. The released QEIIBPiguanas are the only Blue Iguanas left living out-side of captivity other than an estimated 725iguanas remaining in the wild.

While working on a masters degree at theUniversity of Tennessee, Knoxville, I collaboratedwith the National Trust for the Cayman Islands(NTCI) in studying the released population inQEIIBP during the fall of 2001 and the summerand fall of 2002. At the IUCN/SSC IguanaSpecialist Group meeting held on Grand Caymanin 2001, I participated in a workshop to develop aSpecies Survival Plan for the Blue Iguana. Onecomponent of this plan, addressed by my currentresearch, was a detailed field study of the releasedanimals, including an analysis of spatial distribu-tion, to estimate the carrying capacity of QEIIBPand the required area for a proposed iguanareserve. Additionally, I identified habitats and spe-cific resources which are important to the iguanasin order to improve living and breeding conditionsfor the released and captive iguanas within the parkand to assess potential sites for the proposediguana reserve.

My project focused on determining the spatialdistribution and habitat utilization of the releasediguanas by radiotracking and conducting focal ani-mal observations of 12 individuals. Because of thelow density of iguanas, I followed each iguanacontinuously for one day at a time to conduct

observations. While watching iguanas sleepmotionless for hours on end and trying to remainsimilarly motionless but alert, I repeated to myselfmy mantra (borrowed from Beverly Dugan):Iguanas are not dull; they are just very subtle. I often recorded tens of park visitors and staff pass-ing or driving within three meters of an iguanawithout so much as a lift of the head from thehappy blue basker. For iguana enthusiasts whohave patience and luck with weather, up-closeexperiences and photographs of Blue Iguanas at


Old Yeller rests on a man-made pile of rocks next to afavorite food item, Asystasia gangetica. Photograph byRachel Goodman

An iguanas head pokes out from the manicured lawn ofthe Colour Garden in the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park.Biter basks on top of a pile of discarded wooden beamswhich also serve as her usual retreat. These are decidedlyunnatural habitats. In stark contrast is some of the naturalshrubland which iguanas inhabit in the mostly undisturbedportion of the park. Photographs by Rachel Goodman

Iguana 10.1 3/2/03 11:11 AM Page 16

the park are guaranteed. The habituation of thereleased iguanas also proved to be a real asset formy research, as I was able to follow iguanas at avery close range without interfering with theirbehavior. One exception to this was Pink (alsoidentified by a bead), who, accustomed to beingfed by park staff, followed me and begged for foodif I approached too closely.

Some limitations and quirks of the QEIIBPpopulation were frustrating for me as a researcher,but emphasize the critical need for research andmonitoring of this population. For example,iguanas who were supplementally fed movedshorter distances to forage, leading to a confound-ing variable in my analysis of home range sizewhich my small sample size cannot address.However, the suggestion that iguanas may centertheir home ranges around supplemental foods isstrong enough for management plans to include aconsideration of feeding sites as a tool for encour-aging settlement of newly released iguanas, whichotherwise might disperse into unprotected areas.The presence of feeding sites also may lead to a

17IguanaMarch 2003

The author monitoringmovement of iguanaswith telemetryequipment.Photograph by Sandy Echternacht

Slugger models his radio transmitter. Photograph by RachelGoodman

Slugger regularly sunbathes on the road near the staffoffice, refusing to budge even when cars pass at less than 3 m away. Photograph by Rachel Goodman

Park staffer John Lawrus laughs at the common sight ofPink, a released iguana, begging for handouts on the porchof the staff office. Iguanas have gone so far as to run intothis office or attempt to jump into cars or onto people inthe park. Photograph by Rachel Goodman

Iguana 10.1 3/2/03 11:11 AM Page 17


decrease in the size of existing home ranges,thereby increasing the number of iguanas that canbe packed into the park.

Another quirk of my study was the constanthuman disturbance of iguanas and researcher alike.I often interrupted my observation sessions, dur-ing which I strived to minimize disturbance, tojump in front of a car threatening to run over mysubject or to prevent an iguana from eating a plas-tic bag or a tourists berry-colored toenails! Also,convincing park visitors and staff to ignore and nottalk with me while Iconducted behavioralobservations was aconstant challenge.Visitors were satisfiedreceiving a small infor-mative pamphlet Iwrote up, but somestaff could never acceptthe fact that I was onduty while watching amotionless iguana andnot interested in join-ing their smokingbreak.

In addition to mystudy of spatial distrib-ution and habitat usein the park, I collecteddata on the diet anddemographics of thereleased iguanas. Thefirst successful repro-duction in the releasedpopulation had beenconfirmed in 2000 bythe appearance of year-lings the followingspring. In fall 2001,Fred Burton, directorof the Blue Iguana cap-tive breeding andrelease program, and Ibuilt enclosures aroundfive nests of releasedfemales to examinenest structure and suc-cess. Two nests weresuccessful and an evalu-

ation of a third was inconclusive. These findingsand the recensusing of the wild population in sum-mer 2002 indicated a need for headstarting juve-niles produced by the released QEIIBP iguanas. In2002, I monitored nesting of released females.Fred subsequently excavated clutches for incuba-tion, resulting in a total of 25 hatchlings for head-starting in the captive facility.

Fred and I collected and identified plants thatBlue Iguanas were observed eating and examineda limited number of freshly collected scats. We

found that the released iguanaseat the leaves, seedlings, fruits,and flowers of many species ofexotic plants in the parks color-ful gardens in addition to nativespecies in the parks natural habi-tats. They also occasionally takesome animal matter in the formof slugs and invertebrate larvae.One six-year old male, Slugger,

Cagerat, who was released near the captive breedingcompound in the spring of 2002, found a hole in an emptycage shortly thereafter, and has remained resident eversince. He rarely ventures far outside of the compound, butoften climbs on top of the cages to bask and display at thecaptives. Photograph by Rachel Goodman

The author holds Cagerat(three years old when thisphoto was taken), whohas grown nearly twice asfast as the other releasediguanas, presumablybecause of his double-lifeas both a well-fed pseudo-captive and a free-roamingforager and basker.Photograph by Fred Burton

Iguana 10.1 3/2/03 11:11 AM Page 18

acquired his nickname by searching for and con-suming at least six live slugs during one spree.

I also often served as an informal monitor ofthe captive and released populations at QEIIBP,alerting and aiding when a captive iguana escapedfrom its cage or when a released iguanas favoredretreat was in danger of being destroyed (poten-tially with the iguana in it). Before my arrival at thepark, the general assumption was that releasediguanas were not fed heavily by humans, as parkstaff were explicitly instructed not to feed them. Idiscovered that nearly all of the released iguanaswere supplementally fed, either directly or indi-rectly and most commonly by the staff. In fact,several iguanas regularly traveled to the staff officejust before lunch to wait on the front steps fortheir regular meal of fruits, fish, meats, and, mostcommonly, rice and beans. Besides the obviouspotential for nutritional problems, uncontrolledsupplemental feeding has led to decreased warinessof and increased aggression toward people. Ifiguana attacks on park visitors, which currentlyoccur, though infrequently, are to be eliminated,direct feeding by humans must be stopped andsigns warning visitors not to approach or pet theiguanas must be erected. The latter will be accom-plished this year, thanks to IIS-member JohnBendons donations of two signs for the park.

After wrapping up my last field season inDecember 2002, I found that I did not want toleave the botanic park, where the Blue Iguanas arestill in need of much help and greater understand-

ing. Formerly, Fred Burton, park staff, and volun-teers organized through the NTCI fed and caredfor the captive iguanas, and I was often the onlydaily monitor, particularly of the released popula-tion. This year, a part-time employee has beenhired by the Blue Iguana Conservation Programto feed and care for the released and especially thecaptive iguanas at QEIIBP. Although Im surethey are in good hands, I had a hard time sayinggoodbye to those funny blue lizards: Cagerat, whowas released but refused to leave the captive com-pound; Biter, named for splitting open a finger;Slugger, who thankfully survived vehicular crush-ing; and Pink, infamous for his assaults on cars andwomen. Each iguana has a unique personality, andall became my dear friends. I have hope that theGrand Cayman Blue Iguana will survive its currentbrush with near-extinction and flourish, so thatfuture generations will have the chance to experi-ence this iguanas unique beauty and charms.

19IguanaMarch 2003

Biter, here five years old, rests for a moment after diggingher nesting burrow in a pile of discarded potting soil.Photograph by Rachel Goodman

Fred Burton and the author built enclosures in 2001 tocatch hatchlings as they emerged from nests of releasedfemale iguanas in QEIIBP. Photograph by SandyEchternacht

Iguana 10.1 3/2/03 11:11 AM Page 19

AcknowledgmentsMy research has been supported by advisors

Sandy Echternacht and Fred Burton. Funding andhousing were provided by the Blumenthal andBumgarner families, National Trust for theCayman Islands, University of Tennessee, includ-ing the Department of Ecology and EvolutionaryBiology, Chicago Zoological Society, ChicagoHerpetological Society, Explorers Club, the stu-dents of Watkinson School in Connecticut, andJohn and Sandy Binns.

Pertinent LiteratureBurton, F.J. 2002. Grand Cayman Blue Iguanas in the wild:

A survey of the population status of Cyclura nubila lewisi(working report).

Dugan, B. 1982. Overview of Section V, Social Organization, pp.301302. In G.M. Burghardt and A.S. Rand (eds.), Iguanas ofthe World: Their Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation. NoyesPublications, Park Ridge, New Jersey.


An iguana stands in front of one of the parks golf carts andcontemplates crawling under for some refuge from the hotmidday sun. To date, two released iguanas have been runover after doing just that, though luckily one survived.Photograph by Rachel Goodman

Billy, a member of the captive breeding program, openswide for a big yawn. Photograph by Rachel Goodman

Iguana 10.1 3/2/03 11:11 AM Page 20

The more than 200 species in the genus Anolisdiffer in size but share a similar body plan variouslymodified to take advantage of specific habitats. Withthe exception of A. carolinensis, which ranges far intotemperate parts of the southeastern United States,anoles are subtropical or tropical and are widely dis-tributed throughout the Neotropics. Anoles occur onvirtually all islands in the West Indies. Small islandsmay have just one species but large islands may havemany: Cuba has over 50 and Hispaniola over 40. Allanoles are arboreal to some degree and possessexpanded subdigital lamellae (toe pads) that assist inclimbing and variously colored dewlaps (throat fans)used in behavioral displays.

The Grand Cayman Blue Anole, Anolis consper-sus, is restricted to Grand Cayman Island, where it isthe only native anole. Inhabiting all but the mostopen habitats (including the walls of buildings), it isthe islands most abundant and visible reptile. Adultmales reach a maximum body length over 75 mmand exhibit at least three distinct color patterns,although some individuals have intermediate ormixed patterns. Those in most populations on thewest end of the island are predominantly blue withwhite spots but, in some populations, they are green,and in some of the latter, the head is yellow. Malesfrom the eastern halfof the island are brownwith black or darkbrown vermiculations.In the dark phase, allcolor varieties becomenearly black. In all pop-ulations, the dewlap isblue. Females are strik-ingly different inappearance; they aremuch smaller (maxi-mum body lengthabout 50 mm) and are,in all populations, lightbrown with a whitemiddorsal stripe that ispunctuated by blackchevrons.

The Brown (or Cuban) Anole, A. sagrei, hasrecently been introduced on Grand Cayman, proba-bly with foliage plants imported from Florida, andmay pose a threat to native A. conspersus where thespecies co-exist. Adult A. sagrei will eat hatchling A.conspersus. Both species use many of the same habi-tats, but A. sagrei also will inhabit more open areas,whereas A. conspersus actively excludes A. sagreifrom more shaded regions.

Pertinent LiteratureAvery, R.A. 1988. Observations on habitat utilization by the

lizard Anolis conspersus on the island of Grand Cayman,West Indies. Amphibia-Reptilia 9:417420.

Gerber, G.P. 2000. Interactions between introduced and nativeAnolis lizards in Florida and Grand Cayman Island. Ph.D.Dissertation, University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Gerber, G.P. and A.C. Echternacht. 2000. Evidence forasymmetrical intraguild predation between native andintroduced Anolis lizards. Oecologia 124:599607.

Grant, C. 1940. The herpetology of the Cayman Islands. Science Series 2:165.

Losos, J.B., J.C. Marks, and T.W. Schoener. 1993. Habitat useand ecological interactions of an introduced and a nativespecies of Anolis lizard on Grand Cayman, with a review ofthe outcomes of anole introductions. Oecologia95:525532.

Schoener, T. W. 1967. The ecological significance of sexualdimorphism in size in the lizard Anolis conspersus. Science155:474477.

Schwartz, A. and R.W. Henderson. 1991. Amphibians andReptiles of the West Indies: Descriptions, Distributions, andNatural History. University of Florida Press, Gainesville.

Seidel, M.E. and R. Franz. 1994. Amphibians and reptiles(exclusive of marine turtles) of the Cayman Islands, pp.407433. In: M.A. Brunt and J.E. Davies (eds.), TheCayman Islands Natural History and Biogeography. KluwerAcademic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands.

SPECIES PROFILE:Grand Cayman Blue Anole: Anolis conspersus

Adult male Anolis conspersus from Georgetown, GrandCayman Island. Photograph by A.C. Echternacht

Adult female Anolisconspersus from near EastEnd, Grand CaymanIsland. Photograph byA.C. Echternacht

21IguanaMarch 2003

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L E T T E R F R O M T H E P R E S I D E N T

The 16th annual meeting of the IUCN/SSCIguana Specialist Group (ISG) was held in SantoDomingo, Dominican Republic (see the article on p.3 of this issue). During the two-day meeting, presen-tations were made on the status of the 16 taxa in thegenus Cyclura found throughout the Caribbean.Many of the species are declining due to multiplefactors. On the positive side, many species have peopleand institutions who have developed specific programsaimed at reversing those trends.

Immediately following the meeting, a two-dayworkshop was held to develop a species recovery planfor one of the two species endemic to Hispaniola,Ricords Iguana (Cyclura ricordii). Combining thebroad range of expertise from participating ISGmembers with local knowledge of the species distribu-tion and natural history, a recovery plan was formulatedand will soon be published (see p. 9 for a draft of therecovery plan). Implementation hopefully will lead to aresurgence in Ricords Iguana population numbers.

The trip to the Dominican Republic wasnt allwork. Prior to the meeting, some of us arranged totake a field trip to Lago Enriquillo. From the rangerstation, a boat took the participants to Isla Cabritos,an island where Ricords Iguanas and RhinocerosIguanas (Cyclura cornuta) live sympatrically.Rhinoceros Iguanas are quite common and habituatedto people. Several dozen individuals hang out at theranger station and at the boat dock, where theypatiently pose for photos. In contrast, Cyclura ricordiiis very flighty, rare, and rarely seen. One can onlyimagine the excitement and anticipation of encounter-ing these animals in the wild.

Much of my work and lecturing activity centersaround conservation techniques and, upon arrival on

the island, we observed a very successful conservationtechnique an armed guard patrolling the area. TheDominican Republic takes the concept of wildlifeconservation very seriously.

Even though I was representing the IIS and theorganization is dedicated to iguana conservation, Imust admit to feeling a little more anticipation at thethought of viewing American Crocodiles (Crocodylusacutus), a population of which survives in LagoEnriquillo. As a wildlife biologist working withendangered crocodiles in Florida, seeing the species ina different country would be a special treat. I mustadmit that I asked the ranger to show us where thecrocodiles were (even before the iguanas), and wesoon were observing approximately 20 individuals.

The group (people, not crocodiles) then split upto search for the elusive Ricords Iguana. After seeingmany fresh drags and burrows, I came upon a hugemale and snapped a few photos, but as I attempted tomaneuver for a better shot, he retreated into hisburrow. We saw two other Ricords Iguanas and heardseveral more crashing through the brush, apparentlyimpervious to the cacti. In fact, the cacti on the islandwere so abundant that we renamed it the Isla deNeedles.

The subsequent conference was successful andmemorable for all the participants. The hospitality andfood were excellent and I, for one, had to diet afterreturning home.

Rhinoceros Iguanas are quite common and habituated topeople. Photograph by Joe Wasilewski

Ricords Iguana on Isla Cabritos. Photograph by JoeWasilewski

Iguana 10.1 3/2/03 11:11 AM Page 22

23IguanaMarch 2003

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Dr. Timothy Durkins, D.P.M.

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Of all the wonder-ful friends I have made through theInternational IguanaSociety, I will alwaysremember the remark-able Dr. TimothyDurkins (thats DPM,not DVM! Im a podi-atrist, not a veterinar-

ian!). Many who attended the IIS barbecue at theCT Iguana Sanctuary some years back will fondlyremember Dr. Tim, who sat serenely on myback porch and regaled visitors with tales of hismany eccentric extended family members and thelove of his life, the irascible Miss SukiemanBardudi. Sukie was a six-year-old femaleRhinoceros Iguana, who Tim regarded as partgoddess, part spiritual familiar, and part demand-ing roommate. When Sukie died of a pervasiveliver infection, Tim was devastated. With chronichealth problems that had left him unable to workfor many years and a diagnosis of cancer, Timneeded another animal to fill his life. That animalwas Dash, a four-year-old male Rhinoceros Iguanathat I had raised. Dash was never able to actuallylive with Tim as endless chemotherapy sessions lefthim weaker and repeatedly hospitalized. To thevery end, Tim believed that his disease would sim-ply go into remission at some point and he andDash would go home together. A copy of theIguana Times was always in Tims hospital roomand iguana photos at his bedside. He wouldoccupy himself with ideas to raise funds for the IISand iguana conservation, and with producinghandwritten manuals for me on how to care forthe various rescued reptiles that end up in myhouse. The animals and I will all miss Dr. Timdearly. A donation to the Blue Iguana Fund hasbeen made in his honor.

AJ Gutman

O B I T U A R Y

Iguana 10.1 3/2/03 11:11 AM Page 23

Male Cyclura carinata carinata,Turks and Cacios Iguana. Photograph taken in the Turk and Caicos Islands 2002 by John Binns.

iguana volume 10, number 1 m a r c h 2003 us$6 annual meeting, santo domingo, dominican repiblic...

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