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From:TheBahamasWeekly.com International
Thanks to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, USA, the NationalGeographic.com recently featured Bahamian Rock Iguanas and are bringing more awareness to the smuggled iguanas incident which occurred in 2014 when two foreign women were charged with smuggling 13 endangered iguanas out of The Bahamas. The Nati Geo article titled, "Smuggled iguanas tell larger tale of animal trafficking" starts with: "The two Northern Bahamian Rock Iguanas (Cyclura cychlura) that arrived recently to Shedd Aquarium are familiar faces to me. I’ve dedicated more than 20 years of my life studying the three types (i.e. subspecies) of this species in The Bahamas. During this time, I have been fortunate to work with dedicated individuals and organizations, such as the Bahamas National Trust, to help protect this threatened animal. The result of this research led, in part, to the expansion of a national park on Andros Island that now protects critical habitat and important iguana populations. Our collective work and outreach initiatives have also raised awareness about the unique Bahamian rock iguanas and inspired a greater appreciation for Bahamian natural heritage. But the iguanas that recently arrived at Shedd tell another story of how research can unexpectedly benefit wildlife conservation. These Exuma Rock Iguanas came our way because of illegal wildlife trafficking. In 1998, our two iguanas were among a group of iguanas confiscated from smugglers, who intended to profit from selling the animals on the black market. Genetic data, garnered from blood samples collected over the course of Shedd’s long-term iguana research on the remote islands in the Exumas, were used to identify the exact location where the animals were taken. Other evidence tying the smugglers to that location was then used to help convict the defendants." Read their full article HERE More: Shedd Aquarium welcomes two Exuma Island rock iguanas
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