Located on the lagoon sideof the heart of San Pedro Town, the Iguana Eco Corner has been fostering and protecting these endangered reptiles for the past decade. The mangrove area is home to more than 200 hundred green and Black Spiny-Tailed iguanas.
Founder of Iguana Eco Corner Calvin Young shared with The San Pedro Sun that he started with two iguanas, and now there are over 200 hundred in the area. “Ten years ago, I saw two iguanas that were in the mangrove area here beside my house. I decided to take care of them and protect them from poachers, the years, more and more started to come and live here since they felt safe. Now we have over 200 hundred iguanas living at the sanctuary,” he said. Young recently registered the sanctuary as a business and is currently working on a tour of the mangroves. “We are currently remodeling and adding new things as to accommodate both island residents and visitors for tours.” He plans to start offering tours in January of 2020; however, currently, anyone who wants to see the iguanas is welcomed.
Young further stated that the reason he decided to protect the iguanas is, he wants to teach his sons to be compassionate, to love and protect the environment and animals. “As a single father of two boys I always try my best to teach my sons to be good persons. So, when I saw the iguanas around my area, I decided to start protecting them,” he said. In addition, the sanctuary is a haven for spotting beautiful birds and even a few crocodiles come by sometimes.
Iguanas can get big and like to hang out in the tallest trees around town and are often seen on rocks sunning themselves. Sunlight is essential to these cold-blooded critters, barely move until they are warmed up to about 75°F or more, which gives credence to the term, chilled. Once energized, they begin hunting, establishing, and maintaining territory and, when the time is right, mating.
The iguanas are fed daily by Young at the sanctuary, and people who are interested in viewing this fun activity are welcome. Any person interested in assisting Young with food for the iguanas, cleaning the area or via financial means can visit him at Iguana Eco Corner from 9AM to 4PM or call 670-8288.
