AP | On the tiny island Prickly Pear East Cay there is usually absolute calm. If you listen closely, however, you can hear the rustling of lizards skittering through the bushes in recent years – to the delight of scientists from the region. In 2015 about two dozen Lesser Antillean iguanas were released on the uninhabited island in the Caribbean. Since then, the animals have reproduced strongly there.
“That is something that belongs to us,” says Devon Carter, a research associate with the Anguilla National Trust. “We have no lions, we have no elephants. But what we have, we must value.” And the Prickly Pear East Cay, part of the British Overseas Territory of Anguilla, is becoming increasingly populated with them. About 300 specimens of the lizard are now there—and the number is rising. Ten years ago there were exactly zero.
By boat, scientists in 2015 initially brought ten of the iguanas from the main island Anguilla, a few kilometers away. There, their habitat had been increasingly restricted by human settlement.
Hurricane Louis caused the spread of the invasive green iguanas – to the detriment of the Lesser Antillean iguanas.
The “move” is an attempt to preserve the species from extinction. “Prickly Pear East is a beacon of hope for these magnificent lizards,” says Jenny Daltry, who works for Fauna & Flora and Re:wild. The project “proves that native wildlife, if given a chance, already knows what to do.”
Few Refuges
On Prickly Pear East Cay the iguanas rarely come into contact with people and have no natural predators. The island is thus one of five places worldwide where this highly endangered species is gradually expanding again. In total there are an estimated about 20,000 specimens.
The first humans probably arrived about 7,000 years ago on the islands of the eastern Caribbean. The iguanas were already there at that time. It is believed they reached the region on driftwood carried into the sea by rivers from South America. At that time they were spread across about ten of the islands. On Antigua, Barbuda, St. Kitts, Nevis and St. Martin they are already extinct according to Re:wild. They are also largely gone from Guadeloupe, St. Barts and Martinique.
Displacement by Introduced Iguanas
A major threat to the species is a close relative, the Green Iguana. It has lived on Guadeloupe since the 18th century. Following Hurricane Louis, which raged in the Caribbean in 1995, it spread to other islands as well. Green iguanas breed more, take up more space, and eat more food. But the biggest problem is that the two species interbreed. “That severely threatens genetic viability,” says Isabel Curtis of the Anguilla National Trust.
Ten years ago, conservationists began capturing Lesser Antillean iguanas on Anguilla. Island residents supported them by reporting sightings and, in some cases, taking photos. “We spent an entire year looking for iguanas,” says Farah Mukhida, the head of Anguilla National Trust. “That was all manual labor.” In total they found 23 specimens – that was, by estimate, the island’s entire population.
With the help of genetic tests, it was checked whether they were purebred. After the first ten settled on Prickly Pear East Cay, the remaining 13 were moved there as well. Soon the scientists could observe the nests – and eventually the first offspring. “It was really encouraging that they reproduced,” says Mukhida.
Creating Genetic Diversity
Lesser Antillean iguanas can live more than 20 years in the wild. In youth they are green, later they become gray. To promote genetic diversity, the scientists asked the authorities of the island state of Dominica to obtain additional female animals from there.
Dominica has the largest population in the region. But it is also threatened there, since in 2017 Hurricane Maria also populated the island with Green Iguanas. In the meantime, some of the Dominican iguanas have arrived on Prickly Pear East Cay. They have also built nests and are reproducing.
People encounter them – unlike in their homeland – only rarely. On the uninhabited island there are only two restaurants that serve boat visitors. They offer lobster and grilled chicken among other things. Iguanas are not on the menu.
