Rare iguanas struggle for survival as Grand Cayman Island population grows.

• Author: Block, Ben
• Position: EYE ON EARTH - Rare blue iguana

When a team of volunteers with the Blue Iguana Recovery Program arrived to work at their Grand Cayman Island breeding center in May, they were shockede by what they found: someone had savagely attacked the program's endangered reptiles, eventually killing seven. Investigators have found no suspects.

The killings were a major blow to the recovery of the rare blue iguana, found only on this western Caribbean island. As a few as 10 of the animals existed in 2002. The breeding program has since increased the population to about 340.

The brutal attack, however, brought considerable attention to the plight of the iguana. Donations poured in from across the island and around the world. "We can't put value on the death of seven iguanas--that's infinite--but since it's happened we are managing benefits from it," said Fred Burton, director of the recovery program.

While the increased awareness is helping improve security at the breeding center, the major threat to the iguanas may be a more difficult fix: human population growth. An influx of immigrants to Grand Cayman has boosted the population 32.5 percent since 2000, according to Caribbean Community Secretariat statistics. In recent decades, the iguanas were nearly driven to extinction with the construction of highways and the expansion of residential areas.

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