After a whirlwind tour around the world, they were captured, rescued and isolated, and eight endangered Fijian iguanas finally arrived at their new home in the San Diego Zoo.
Officials say the iguanas will be suitable for the zoo, which is home to the largest captive colonies of these reptiles and is leading genetic research efforts, hoping to pave the way for their future survival.
The staff at the zoo were delighted to finally see the long-term green additive, with Spanish authorities occupying more than 600 illegally trafficked reptiles in their busts in 2017.
“The confiscation of trafficked wildlife is much more frequent than people realize, and reptiles are particularly vulnerable due to their high demand for illegal pet trade,” Brett Baldwin, curator of herpesology and ichthology at San Diego Zoo, said in a statement. “The transportation of Fijian iguanas from Spain to San Diego Zoo has been around for several years, but it is a testament to our commitment and dedication to save wildlife and to enable these iguanas to get the best care.”
During his time in Spain, the iguanas were cared for by the Foundation for Ethics and Biodiversity Research near Madrid. The Fiji government authorized them to move to San Diego as part of an international effort to help restore endangered species.
The Fijian iguana was caught by Spanish authorities in a bust in 2017.
(Ken Bohn/San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance)
“Wildlife smuggling is a real problem, threatening Fiji’s endangered iguana population, which is already under pressure to expand human activities and invasive alien species,” Fiji Commission Chairman Setoki Tuiteci said in a statement. “So we thank security authorities and organizations such as the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance for the actions.”
Baldwin travels to Spain to prepare for an iguana flight to the United States. When the reptiles arrived in Los Angeles safely, they were escorted to the zoo’s Jennings Veterinary Hospital for in-depth health assessment and isolation.
Once removed from the quarantine, the iguanas can be prepared to meet the rest of the long-standing families at the zoo.
The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance has assisted with more than 20 reptile seizures over the past 28 years and was one of the first zoos to begin receiving Fijian iguanas. The conservation breeding program they established in the 1990s has successfully produced more than 100 hatcheries.
The zoo analyzed DNA samples collected from nearly 200 iguanas on 30 islands as part of an effort to learn how to best protect the species. The results show that the genetic diversity of native Fijian iguana populations is much greater than previously thought, which may point to a completely new iguana species.
Fijian iguanas are found in 10% of Fiji’s 330 islands.
(Ken Bohn/San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance)
Zoo geneticists will work with eight new iguanas to determine whether they poached directly from the wild or illegally, and which island they might have come from in the first place. Fijian iguanas are found in about 330 islands in Fiji, with most of the population at risk.
The lizard is about 21 inches long and feasts on the coastal swamps and rainforests of its home islands. They spend most of their lives on trees – only dropping eggs.
