Utila Iguana Station Releases Juveniles!

Watching the volunteers Mayra and Sarah prepare breakfast for the Iguanas with bright red hibiscus blossoms and papayas was a great way to start  the morning…  

I was at the Utila Iguana Research and Breeding Station (IRBS), preparing to venture out for a day trip, with their Coordinator and Biologist Andrea Martinez, and two other volunteers, Sophie and Genevieve.   The focus of the day was the release of a batch of year-old  Spiny Tailed  Iguana (Ctenosaura bakeri), also known as “The Swamper”, or “WishiWilly”.  This iquana species is an endangered species that lives in the Mangrove forests of Utila. It is also is an endemic species to the island, meaning it is ONLY found on Utila. 

We were off to “Iron Bound”, an area they refer to which is to the West of Pumpkin Hill and to the East of Rock Harbor- also an area that I had somehow never explored during my years here in Utila.   So when Angela Randazzo, the Director of the Iguana Station, made the offer to come join her team for the day, I jumped at it.  

As we made the trek (about 1.5 hour from the station; 1 hour from the first turn off to Pumpkin Hill), I noted how good it felt to be out hiking in Utila.  Most of my free time is spent in the awesome water surrounding Utila-  amist the reefs snorkeling and diving or gliding across it kayaking, so both my feet and mind both had to adjust a little to the idea that there really is great hiking in Utila!  Through the hardwood forest and the ferns and the emerged coral walkway we went, with the crew from the Iguana Station pointing out the flora and fauna and interesting tidbits along the way;  while I just kept thinking “why don’t I do this more often”?   

The trail continued all the way to the beach, where we found a nice shady tree and enjoyed a well deserved break. Then off to the task at hand: the release of the juveniles!  With biologist Andrea in the lead, we headed deep into the black mangrove forest. Its a different world back there- truly.  Also definitely a bit gushy on the feet at first, but easy to adapt as we made our way along the roots. To help escort us were a gang of the hairy leg crabs, who with their bright colors and big claws look a bit like a character out of Dr. Seuss.   

Continuing on to the transect area, we started the release. After identifying an ideal Red Mangrove branch to release our little iguana juvenile, Andrea adeptly reached into the bags as though she had done this hundreds of times before and placed our first juvenile Swamper out. Making sure he had his balance, we watched him take in his new surroundings before we continued on to release the rest of our little ones.   During the release we also followed an established transect line, noting how many different iguanas we saw, age, sex, type, and distance from the marked trees; these transects are done to help assess the wild Swamper populations.  

After a successful release of multiple juveniles, we made our way back to the beach, walking along the iron shore back to our initial “rest tree” and then went for a well deserved dip in the sea, enjoying the great tidepools created from the iron shore (exposed lava with some fossilized coral).  

Heading back, I again couldn’t stop thinking about what great ecosystems I had explored today, and the hard work these folks from the Utila Iguana Station put in to help sustain this precious species of Utila.    According to Utila Iguana Station Coordinator and Biologist Andrea Martinez, a total of 325 juveniles from 2009 have been released this year, and next year, 2011, the Station is planning  to release around 400 juveniles or more born in 2010 ( 50% of the juveniles are released during 2010 year and the other 50% are released  when they have 1 year old).    All of the juveniles are hatched at the center, either  from permanent resident female iguanas (that are always  living in the station)  or from wild female iguanas.  The wild female iguanas are brought in  from areas such as Iron Bound, Rock Harbour, Blue Bayou and Bight Bight, and only stay at the Iguana Station from 5-10 days until they release their eggs. Once they lay their eggs, the wild female iguanas are taken back to their natural habitat. 

Biologist Andrea and the others from the Utila Iguana Station emphasized that thisIguana Swamper ( Ctenosaura bakeri) is a precious species for Utila, as this species only lives in Utila.  They are working to decrease/stop the poaching and  hunting that continues, and also to educate all on the need to reduce the destruction of the mangroves because it is its habitat, and now reduced to only 8 km2.

Good luck little juveniles- Grow and have lots of Swamper babies!   – July 10, 2010 UtilaGuide.com  

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-Utila Iguana Research and Breeding Station (IRBS) is a registered non-profit organization in Honduras as Bay Islands Foundation (Fundacion Islas de La Bahia).  Its commonly called “The Iguana Station” around town.  For more on IRBS and activities, see them at https://www.utila-iguana.de.  You can visit them Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 2-5pm – its about a 15 minute walk from center of town.

-You can join the Utila Iguana Station on a hike to Iron Bound and other areas! https://www.utila-iguana.de/visit-tours.php. Total hike time is about 5 hours, with breaks and swim time.  

-For more on Utila, see www.UtilaGuide.com  

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