Rock iguanas are being killed by drivers in the Sister Islands at a record pace so far this year, according to the Department of Environment.
The year “has been a record year for Sister Islands rock iguana road kills in Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, with over 100 deaths recorded so far”, the department said in a press release on 12 Sept.
Sister Islands rock iguanas – which have the scientific name cyclura nubila caymanensis – are a subspecies of iguana unique to Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. They are considered critically endangered.
“So many Sister Islands rock iguanas are killed by cars each year that it poses a significant threat to their vulnerable populations,” the Department of Environment stated in the press release.
“Since 2020, at least 286 Sister Islands Rock Iguanas succumbed to road deaths on both islands. This number is likely much higher since many hatchlings die on the road and go undetected due to scavengers.”
The Department of Environment said there was a surge of road deaths of rock iguanas during mating season this past spring.
“We are now in hatchling emergence season with newly born rock iguanas leaving the nest becoming vulnerable to traffic,” the department said. “With a little more care to slow down and look out for rock iguanas on the road, we can make a difference in reducing the number of iguanas we lose to cars.”
To prevent more rock iguanas from being killed on the roads, the Department of Environment asked motorists to check under their vehicles before driving, to slow down and look ahead on the road.
It also asked the public to report any injured or dead iguanas to email [email protected] or by calling 916-5849.
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It’s a shame the same cannot be said of chickens which roam absolutely everywhere in the Islands and rip open plastic garbage bags of food waste and scatter it all over our roads.