Cayman Island's National Treasure
December 15th 2008 01:38
Coming from the African continent, I must admit, I had never seen an iguana live as such. You usually learn about all sorts of weird and wonderful animals as a kid at school and after school you kind of toss this “useless” information into your mind dump. In the Cayman Islands, iguana’s have a special place in the hearts of Caymanians and tourists alike especially the Blue Iguana. So much so that even on the roads of Little Cayman the iguana always has the right of way. Iguana is a type of lizard that is native to tropical areas of Central and South America and the Caribbean. The word “Iguana” is derived from a Spanish form of the original Taino name for the species “Iwana”. The Blue Iguana is Grand Cayman’s largest native land animal, I do believe that it is indigenous to the Cayman Islands.
Personally, when I arrived on the island I was pretty much afraid of these animals more out of ignorance than anything else because I generally believe that any undomesticated animal on four legs has the capacity to do damage to your being. But over time, I have grown to like these animals, especially because where I live several of the smaller iguanas roam around my garden quite freely. The road I live in is pretty much unspoilt and there are only two houses so one comes across iguanas quite a lot. There actually is a a Blue Iguana Recovery Program on island that is aimed at increasing the depleted Blue Iguana population. As a result of the program there is a captive breeding facility in the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park in Grand Cayman. So if you are ever in Grand Cayman take a hour or so to visit the facility, it actually is quite fascinating…
Personally, when I arrived on the island I was pretty much afraid of these animals more out of ignorance than anything else because I generally believe that any undomesticated animal on four legs has the capacity to do damage to your being. But over time, I have grown to like these animals, especially because where I live several of the smaller iguanas roam around my garden quite freely. The road I live in is pretty much unspoilt and there are only two houses so one comes across iguanas quite a lot. There actually is a a Blue Iguana Recovery Program on island that is aimed at increasing the depleted Blue Iguana population. As a result of the program there is a captive breeding facility in the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park in Grand Cayman. So if you are ever in Grand Cayman take a hour or so to visit the facility, it actually is quite fascinating…
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