At least 60 wild iguanas have been captured, sold and exported from the Gal\u00e1pagos Islands in Ecuador under permits that shouldn\u2019t have been recognized since Ecuador doesn\u2019t allow the export of live iguanas, Mongabay\u2019s Ana Cristina Alvarado reported.<\/p>\n
Researchers behind a recent study found that traffickers smuggle the iguanas out of the archipelago, then declare the reptiles were captive-bred in a middle country such as Mali or Uganda \u2014 even though experts say there are no legal facilities there to breed Gal\u00e1pagos iguanas for export. From these third-party countries, smugglers ship the animals under captive-bred permits to customers in North America, Asia and Europe for tens of thousands of dollars each.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are sought after because they\u2019re unique species,\u201d study co-author Christian Sevilla, a director at Gal\u00e1pagos National Park, told Alvarado.<\/p>\n
There are four iguana species endemic to the Gal\u00e1pagos Islands, meaning they don\u2019t exist in the wild anywhere else in the world.<\/p>\n
The pink land iguana (Conolophus marthae) is listed as critically endangered, with an estimated 300 individuals living on Isabela Island.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf someone removes 10 pink iguanas, the impact on the population would be large. We are talking about a significant percentage of the population,\u201d said biologist Washington Tapia, one of the study\u2019s authors.<\/p>\n
The marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) is the only species of iguana that spends most of its time underwater, mostly foraging for algae. The other two are the yellow land iguana (C. subcristatus) and the Santa Fe land iguana (C. pallidus). All three are listed as vulnerable by the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority.<\/p>\n
Researchers still don\u2019t know how traffickers are able to capture iguanas; it\u2019s thought they may target juveniles, which are smaller and easier to transport. \u201cHolding these reptiles is far from easy,\u201d Tapia said. \u201cThey hit with their tails, and if that doesn\u2019t work, they try to bite.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2012, a German man was caught trying to smuggle four baby iguanas off the islands. In 2015, a Mexican citizen was arrested for attempting to smuggle 11 iguanas to Uganda. The study\u2019s authors also identified recent YouTube videos and Facebook posts by traffickers containing images of the rare Gal\u00e1pagos species.<\/p>\n
The international wildlife trade is supposed to be monitored and controlled by CITES, a global wildlife trade convention signed by 185 nations. However, the study found that importing nations weren\u2019t following through on due diligence to ensure the iguanas were legally obtained.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe states that are part of CITES are supposed to verify the legal origin of any specimen, but in this case, it is noteworthy that none of the countries consulted with Ecuador about the origin of the specimens,\u201d Tapia added.<\/p>\n