|
About | Contact | Mongabay on Facebook | Mongabay on Twitter | Free newsletter |
|
|
Blue iguana back from the dead Jeremy Hance mongabay.com July 18, 2011  A young blue iguana awaiting a health assessment. Photo credit: Julie Larsen Maher/Wildlife Conservation Society.
How did they do it? Blue iguanas are raised in captive breeding until they are two years old—big enough to keep feral cats at bay, which were decimating juvenile iguanas. Once they hit two, they are released in the 625 acres of Salina Reserve. Populations are then monitored. "For the past several years, we’ve succeeded in adding hundreds of animals to the wild population, all of which receive a health screening before release," explains Dr. Paul Calle, Director of Zoological Health for Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)'s Bronx Zoo, who has aided in screening iguanas ready for release. The program has been such a success that conservationists have started releasing blue iguanas in a new protected area, the Colliers Wilderness Reserve. This month the program has had confirmation of the first blue iguana breeding in the area. The current goal is to reach 1,000 blue iguanas. Given the success to date that goal may be met quickly. "We expect to reach our goal of 1,000 iguanas in managed protected areas in the wild in a few years. After that, we will monitor the iguanas to make sure they are reproducing in the numbers needed to maintain the wild population. If we get positive results, we will have succeeded," Fred Burton, director of the Blue Iguana Recovery Program, said in a press release. Aside from WCS the program has received support from the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and the International Reptile Conservation Foundation.  An adult blue iguana. Photo credit: Julie Larsen Maher/Wildlife Conservation Society.
Related articles
Tags: reptiles herps critically endangered species endangered species jeremy hance green environment islands Caribbean Caribbean islands conservation happy-upbeat environmental in-situ conservation ex-situ conservation saving species from extinction animals wildlife Environmental news index | RSS | News Feed | Twitter | Home Advertisements:
|
|
|
DON'T LIKE ADS? Become a mongabay supporter WEEKLY NEWSLETTER RECENT FEATURES
POPULAR PAGES Photos
CALENDARS 
BOOKS BY MONGABAY AUTHORS
FREE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER 
HIGH RESOLUTION PHOTOS / PRINTS 
|
| | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(07/13/2011) Reptiles have long been thought to be dim-witted, but a new study in Biology Letters finds that the Puerto Rican anole, a type of lizard, can match birds in smarts. Using cognitive tests that have been previously used on birds, researchers with Duke University found that the lizards were capable of solving a problem they've never encountered before, remembering the solution in future trials, and even changing techniques when presented with new challenges. In fact, the tiny anoles solved the test with fewer tries than birds. Given reptiles' reputation of being slow-on-the uptake the head author, Manuel Leal, said the findings are 'completely unexpected'.
(06/19/2011) Conservation group TRAFFIC uncovered nearly 600 Madagascar reptiles and amphibians on sale in Thai markets, including endangered species and those banned for sale by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The animals, representing 24 reptiles species and 9 amphibians, are being sold for the international pet trade.
"We know there is a significant ongoing illegal trade in protected species from Madagascar, mainly destined for Asia, which has been exacerbated by the current political situation in the country leading to weaker enforcement of existing laws and safeguarding of protected areas," says Richard Hughes, WWF’s Representative in Madagascar.
|
Copyright mongabay 2010 Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions generated from mongabay.com operations (server, data transfer, travel) are mitigated through an association with Anthrotect, an organization working with Afro-indigenous and Embera communities to protect forests in Colombia's Darien region. Anthrotect is protecting the habitat of mongabay's mascot: the scale-crested pygmy tyrant. |
