Six Blue Iguanas Murdered
I am taking a break here from my usual lighthearted take on life with my reptiles and assorted other creatures, so be warned.
The title of this blog entry is not a joke. It is the heinous reality discovered by a volunteer to came to work at Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park (QEII) early Sunday morning, May 4, 2008.
Those of you who know me personally, or who are familiar with my writings and points of view on the environment, animal welfare, and the necessity to protect and conserve endangered species can well imagine what I have to say about what happened this past weekend, and what I and many others would like to see happen to the despicable individuals who killed these animals for no other reason than to kill.
The loss of these animals is a loss to their endangered species, to the staff and volunteers and researchers who have lived with, cared for, and learned from them, and to the good people of the Cayman Islands and their supporters who are working so hard to regain lost ground and nearly lost species.
To read more about this, please visit the Blue Iguana Recovery Programme site (and make a donation, if you can), and the following news articles:
Now, excuse me while I go hug a lizard.
Added May 6:
Added May 7:
Update May 14: Another of the attacked iguanas has died, bringing the number to seven, and two others injured in the attack remain in serious condition. More articles can be found through Google News
Special Online Chat: John Binns of the International Reptile Conservation Foundation and Fred Burton, founder of the Blue Iguana Recovery Programme, will be part of a special PetHobbyist.com chat on Saturday May 17, 2008 at 7 pm Eastern TIme (4 PM Pacific Time) to discuss the recent tragedy at the QE II Botonatical Gardens, the latest developments in the investigation, and how you can help BIRP recover from this tragedy and support conservation.
The title of this blog entry is not a joke. It is the heinous reality discovered by a volunteer to came to work at Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park (QEII) early Sunday morning, May 4, 2008.
Those of you who know me personally, or who are familiar with my writings and points of view on the environment, animal welfare, and the necessity to protect and conserve endangered species can well imagine what I have to say about what happened this past weekend, and what I and many others would like to see happen to the despicable individuals who killed these animals for no other reason than to kill.
The loss of these animals is a loss to their endangered species, to the staff and volunteers and researchers who have lived with, cared for, and learned from them, and to the good people of the Cayman Islands and their supporters who are working so hard to regain lost ground and nearly lost species.
To read more about this, please visit the Blue Iguana Recovery Programme site (and make a donation, if you can), and the following news articles:
Six Blue Iguanas Murdered at Botanic Park
Police Hunt for Iguana Murderers
Now, excuse me while I go hug a lizard.
Added May 6:
Six critically endangered blue iguanas butchered in Cayman Islands breeding facility
Editorial in Cayman Compass
Cayman police probe killings of blue iguanas
Added May 7:
Probe into Giant Iguana Slaughter
Another Iguana Found Injured
Update May 14: Another of the attacked iguanas has died, bringing the number to seven, and two others injured in the attack remain in serious condition. More articles can be found through Google News
Special Online Chat: John Binns of the International Reptile Conservation Foundation and Fred Burton, founder of the Blue Iguana Recovery Programme, will be part of a special PetHobbyist.com chat on Saturday May 17, 2008 at 7 pm Eastern TIme (4 PM Pacific Time) to discuss the recent tragedy at the QE II Botonatical Gardens, the latest developments in the investigation, and how you can help BIRP recover from this tragedy and support conservation.
Labels: blue iguanas, Cayman, endangered species
posted by Melissa at 3:23 PM
4 Comments:
Thank you for posting this. I am from the Cayman Islands, and am extremely saddened by this story. When I was younger, my mom worked for the National Trust for the Cayman Islands, and on Sundays, would take my brother and I out to the Botanic Park to volunteer with the blue iguanas. We had the opportunity to feed and care for them, and along the way we learned great respect for them. The blue iguana is not just an endangered species, it is a symbol of our islands' intrisic value and beauty. Those iguanas brought hope and joy to so many people. I cannot even begin to express my sadness over their deaths and my anger towards the murderers. It is an unimaginable loss to our island and our people.
i just read this post Melissa :(
i have been away from ig news and stuck in work and travel.
have they found those basta*rds? i would recommend they cut up, dismember and stomp on the men, so they feel a little of the horror they inflicted onto our blue friends.
stay well Melissa.
hi Melissa :) i made a donation to the Blues Fund last night and wrote this, this morning.
just in case you wanted to read it (and not necessarily publish it here in your comments).
http://justenoughspanish.blogspot.com/2008/06/in-memory-of-blues.html
stay well.
Surita, my computer suffered a fatal crash a couple of weeks ago, and somehow I missed seeing your second Comment. Thank you...
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