COBRA (Conservation and Breeding Research Area) Project
Phase I: Rock Iguana Breeding Facility

Because of our strong institutional commitment to rock iguana conservation, in 1996 the Zoological Society of San Diego received the largest group of Jamaican iguanas ever placed outside of their native country. Following that, we were the recipients of the only Anegada iguanas, the only zoological institution in the world to obtain this species, and have bred them successfully each year they have been in our care. In 2006, we received a group of Grand Cayman iguanas, a critically endangered species with no more than 25 adults remaining in the wild.

We continue to serve in leadership positions in AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums), IUCN (nternational Union for the Conservation of Nature), and other organizations devoted to the conservation of iguanas worldwide, and have developed an active research program involving multiple species and a large number of grants and significant publications. This work is also connected to a successful field program involving translocation and head-starting programs to establish new populations and reduce the risk of a single, small population going extinct.

The breeding program is ongoing, but we are seeking to establish a new facility at the Wild Animal Park to continue this successful program. Investment in off-exhibit propagation facilities will allow us to continue this highly successful program, as well as produce offspring at our own facilities for reintroduction to the wild, providing an exceptionally strong link between the Zoological Society’s living collections and our field conservation efforts. The proposed facility will house up to 20 individuals in spacious indoor/outdoor enclosures containing sandy substrate conducive to natural nesting behavior. The expected outcome is to establish—in conjunction with other facilities—a viable captive population for these species.

More

Teacher curriculum: Anegada Iguanas—Buddies or Siblings?
Reintroduced Iguanas Reproduce in the Wild, Marking Major Conservation Milestone for Rare Species