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66 IGUANA  •  VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2  •  JUNE 2008 BINNS

Archie a few days before I left; although his health was much better, he was still disoriented and moved about his pen cautiously.



Sunday is a day of the week that typically provides peace and
quiet, time to catch up on the work accumulated during the

previous week. Sunday, 4 May 2008, started off no differently.
The day would be dedicated to editing material for the June
issue of Iguana, and replying to an assortment of emails, partic-
ularly one regarding the new signs that had just arrived at the
docks in Grand Cayman for the Blue Iguana facility.

Downstairs, Sandy was taking advantage of the day to eval-
uate new web design templates for the Blue Iguana website, con-
ferring with her developers on enhancements, functionality, and
ease of maintenance. The decision to give the Blue website a new
face had been made months before, but very recent activity with
the European Union (EU) Grant, discussion of a new protected
area, and facility signage enhancements were making the web-
site upgrade a priority.

Some 2,733 miles away, Fred Burton, Director of the Blue
Iguana Recovery Program, was enjoying the weekend break, the
warm, tranquil early morning only occasionally interrupted by

the crowing of a rooster intent on being a nuisance. Sipping on
a mug of coffee, Fred was immersed in polishing the details of a
EU Grant that would consume the better part of his attention
during the coming week.

Sam Hicks, personal assistant to Fred, and her partner,
Giles Shaxted, had been out the night before celebrating their
anniversary. They’d gotten in late and planned to sleep in.

In George Town, John Marotta, Head Warden at the facility,
was leisurely enjoying his first day off in a month. John had his A-
Team of regular local volunteers, Stu Petch, Gary Redfern, and
Sheilagh Rickard, set to manage the day’s work at the facility.

All that peaceful orderliness was about to change.
Stu, Gary, and Sheilagh converged at the QE II Botanic

Park at 0900 h when the park entrance gate was to be unlocked.

The Seven Blues of May1

John Binns

International Reptile Conservation Foundation

Photographs by the author except where indicated.

IGUANA  •  VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2  •  JUNE 2008 67SEVEN BLUES

�

This photograph was taken as Fred Burton and John Marotta entered the main facility pen area. Eldemire (lower left) is lying on his side, his left
leg missing; Jessica (upper right) lies motionless although still alive.

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1 This story will serve as an account of these events in the archives
of the Blue Iguana Recovery Program.



They drove down the road leading to the facility, parked, and,
once the gate to the old wire-fenced cages and the gate leading
into the large pen area were unlocked as customary, they began
a walk-around to check on the iguanas.

At 0910 h, John’s cell phone rang; caller ID indicated it was
Gary. The call could only be one of a few things, John thought
to himself, either Gary couldn’t join the team today, a key to the
facility gates was lost, or the iguana food he had collected the day
before couldn’t be found. What John wasn’t prepared for was the
tone of Gary’s question and what followed: “Does Eldemire have
bead tags?” A pause, then: “Eldemire is out of his pen and dead.”
Before the words could be fully fathomed, John instinctively
asked if any other iguanas had been injured. In the background,
he could not quite make out what Stu was telling Gary, but he
realized then that something insanely wrong had occurred. After
a slight delay, Gary said: “Jessica is out of her pen and injured, and
Sara is dead.” It was enough for John; he blasted out the door
heading to the facility. John was aware that Fred’s car was in for
repairs and knew he’d have to detour to pick him up.

Gary then called Fred. Fred struggled to hear the soft-spo-
ken clipped South African accent, but what got Fred’s attention
were the words: “We’ve got a problem.” Gary continued his
update in a state of shock as he, Stu, and Sheilagh walked the
facility, uncovering the enormity of the situation.

Fred knew he had to get to the facility quickly but he was
without a car. The phone rang almost immediately; it was John
saying he’d be there momentarily. As they drove toward the park,
Fred called Mat Cottam of the Department of Environment to
inform him of the horror and to discuss who needed to be
alerted immediately. Unable to concentrate as they made their
way through traffic, Fred left that for Mat to decide.

By the time they arrived, Carl Edwards from the
Department of Environment Enforcement Office was already
there. Fred and John made their way into the facility, already
engulfed in emotion and working hard to get their heads around
the scene. As they neared the main area, John recalled looking
between the slats of the facility fence and seeing a large male
Blue lying on its side with his left rear leg missing. Not far away
was Jessica. John quickly recognized the large male as Eldemire.
Over the past three years, John had taken a special liking to this
iguana with his gnarly old-man looks and missing spines.
Something special about his appearance and demeanor had cap-
tured John’s heart.

By the time Fred, John, and Carl arrived, Gary and Stu had
completed their inspection of the grounds and had a tally of
fatalities, injured, and missing. Fred transcribed the list into his
notebook. Sheilagh had taken it upon herself earlier to break
away to feed and water the iguanas. Despite the mayhem sur-
rounding her, she worked silently in background taking care of
what needed to be done.

Fred, John, and the others walked the grounds taking in
the unimaginable horror as well as anyone could. Eldemire,
Sara, Yellow, and Digger were dead. Pedro’s entrails were found
just outside the entrance to his pen; his body was missing.
Jessica was clearly injured, although she was alert and able to
walk. She was carefully moved back into her pen. Billy, appear-
ing disoriented, had sustained a huge gash on his right front leg
and had a large hematoma over his right rib cage. Deborah,
Billy’s mate was first thought to be missing, but an intensive
search revealed that she was underground nesting. Archie was
beaten and almost unconscious. All but Eldemire, Jessica, and
Pedro were found in their pens.

68 IGUANA  •  VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2  •  JUNE 2008 BINNS

Billy stationary in his pen with a large gash on his right front leg. 

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IGUANA  •  VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2  •  JUNE 2008 69SEVEN BLUES

The slaughter of the captive Blues immediately raised fears
that the free-ranging Blues in the Park may have been hit as well.
The search began. Biter, whose retreat is located next to the
fence outside of Sara’s pen, was okay. Mad Max Too was okay.
One by one, each animal was found and all were healthy.

While John continued his inspection, Fred took the oppor-
tunity to text-message me with the news and to update Mat,
who had been working feverishly contacting others on the
island. Shortly, Dr. Colin Wakelin, Department of Agriculture
Veterinarian, Gina Ebanks, Director of Environment, Mat
Cottam, Senior Research Officer for the Department of
Environment, Carla Reid, Chair of the National Trust for the
Cayman Islands, and a forensic team from the Royal Cayman
Islands Police arrived at the scene.

Dr. Wakelin immediately began suturing the gash in Billy’s
leg. He then examined Jessica, who at that moment appeared
hurt but not seriously injured. Dr. Wakelin advised Fred to keep
a close watch on her condition and notify him immediately
should her condition change. Next he examined Archie, advis-
ing that he also be monitored closely. Aside from Eldemire and
Billy, the rest had no obvious external signs of injury. The spec-
ulation was that all of the affected animals had suffered internal
injuries either from being stepped on or beaten. This raised the
question of how many other captive iguanas had been brutalized
and had yet to display any symptoms.

I was deeply entrenched in photo editing when the phone
chimed to alert me of a text message. The screen read: Fred
Burton: “The dead list… Eldemire. Sara. Digger. Yellow. Pedro.
What can I say…” Confused, I messaged back to Fred: “What
dead list????” Knowing my reply would take time to reach him,
I returned to editing, but the oddness of Fred’s message made
me review it again. At that point, I realized that I had received
three messages and had only read the last. The first message sent
at 0913 h PST read: “Juan, we have a catastrophe at the facility.
Four igs are dead. Police are on the case. Looks clearly like human
agency. We are all in shock and still s...” The message was cut off
and followed by a second garbled message: “??? 7??G=.” In alarm,
I messaged back: “Oh Crap I just read the previous messages.”
Then I immediately dialed his cell. In a matter of seconds, I was

getting a complete rundown on what had happened. Fred was
having a difficult time as he spoke and was noticeably shaken,
as was I listening to the account of the carnage. As with all things
Blue, I let Fred know that whatever support he needed, the
IRCF was standing by. He requested that we get the news out
as well as we could. Distressed, I sent out the broadcast messages.
Sandy and I then began to prepare and organize for the firestorm
that was sure to follow.

As the police and Department of Environment enforce-
ment people took control of the crime scene, Fred and the oth-
ers gathered under the visitors’ tent in the main compound. Talk
centered around how best to handle the media. Fred had been
taking photographs for potential use in the investigation since
he’d arrived on the scene; some of those and others he was yet
to take would meet the media requirements.

John and Fred struggled to decide which of them should
call Sam; it had to be done and both knew it would hit her hard.
In the end, John made the call. Sam’s downstairs phone rang
some time after 1100 h. Sensing that the call might be impor-
tant, she made her way down the stairs in a race with the
answering machine. She didn’t make it. The caller ID indicated
it was John. Not unusual for him to call given the small size of
the team. She hit redial.

John answered and came right to the point: “I’m at the Park.
Someone hit the captive facility and some of the animals are dead.”
Sam flashed on Digger and she prayed his name wouldn’t be
mentioned. John continued: “Yellow, Sara, and Eldemire are
dead. Pedro is dead,” a pause… “Digger is dead.” The news
pierced her heart.

As she drove toward the park, she recalls her mood being
fatalistic. Concerned that she’d have an accident in her haste to
get to Digger, she was hoping all the time that this was some

Crime scene evidence markers. Samantha Hicks in a cherished moment with Digger. 

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huge mistake. She arrived before noon. As she made her way to
Digger, Stu and Gary followed. By this time both of them were
mentally fatigued and emotionally drained, but their concern
for Sam took precedence. Coming to terms with the fact that
the iguanas were gone was hard, and Sam needed proof —
which came all too quickly.

For a time, Sam crouched next to the pen wall devastated,
weeping uncontrollably — but she needed to be closer. Asking
the attending policeman for permission and without waiting for
an answer, she jumped the wall. She recalls Digger being hot,
not looking broken but not right, not a mess but certainly the
lifeless body was not Digger anymore. She recalls: “If I ever
needed affirmation that such a thing as a soul exists, there it was. I
crouched over this animal that I had spent so many hours with and
I knew that were it not for the location and the unassailable circum-
stances, I would have never known him to be Digger. The particu-
lar cheeky slant to his eyes was hidden because he had squeezed them
tightly shut, he looked too big and his body too long, so I suppose in
life he had carried himself tall, but there is no great surprise there.”
She stayed with him clutched gently in her arms.

Once the police had finished gathering the forensics, the
bodies were moved to the tent for a more thorough examina-
tion. When Dr. Wakelin completed his work, he handed the
four bodies over to a policewoman for transport; they would be
X-rayed and then placed in cold storage. Dr. Wakelin left the
park shortly thereafter.

By this time John had resumed caring for the Blues; less
burdened thanks to Sheilagh’s earlier efforts, he had more time
to monitor health status and look for signs that any of the oth-
ers had been injured. John noted that Matthias was acting
mildly sluggish, possibly due to the weather, but since he was up
in his tree he couldn’t have been seriously injured.

Fred called Carol Winker of the Caymanian Compass to
break the news. He then made his way back to check on Jessica.
She had stopped responding to touch, and her breathing was
shallow. Fred then realized she was mortally wounded. Carol
arrived about the same time. Fred was on the phone with Dr.
Wakelin preparing to transport Jessica to his office; Carol
snapped the shot. Carol’s front-page story and photograph of
Fred on the phone with his hand on Jessica was the beginning
of the weeklong media frenzy of front-page news and radio
broadcasts as the Associated Press distributed the news to the
worldwide media.

Jessica was lying on the clinic table as Dr. Wakelin did
everything he could to bring her back, but it was hopeless. How
she survived for as long as she did was anyone’s guess. The deci-
sion was made to let her live her last hours away from the clinic,
and no place was more appropriate than Fred’s home. I received
a message from him shortly thereafter: “Jessica is now fading. The
vet has done all he can with Bonnie’s2 advice. She is on my lap with
minimal life signs only.” Jessica’s final moments were witnessed
by a small group of people who stopped by Fred’s house. Present
were Luigi Moxam, One-345 clothing line, Selita Ebanks, a
Caymanian supermodel, Orneil Galbraith, a former BIRP war-
den, and Team Blue volunteer Clara Lawrence. By day’s end, the
death toll had risen to six.

By Monday morning (5 May), news of the murders was
spreading like wildfire. After a sleepless night, Fred was up early.
The phone was ringing, and incoming email already numbered
in the hundreds, just as it did for us in California. Sam arrived

70 IGUANA  •  VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2  •  JUNE 2008 BINNS

After the initial crime scene investigation was completed, the bodies of the four Blues were moved under the tour tent prior to being transported
for radiographs. From the top, Yellow, Sara, Eldemire, and Digger. 

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2 Bonnie Raphael, DVM, Dipl. ACZM, Senior Veterinarian, Global
Health Programs, Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, New York.



IGUANA  •  VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2  •  JUNE 2008 71SEVEN BLUES

to relieve Fred so he could address official matters from law
enforcement and government officials.

Sam established her workspace in the corner of Fred’s office
that came equipped with an outdated and temperamental PC,
which I replaced when I arrived with one of Fred’s upgraded
computers that I had serviced. Another makeshift table was
assembled in the middle of the room to act as central depository
for printouts and other documents that would be needed. With
a phone in place, her workstation neatly organized and com-

puter humming, she began what would be a weeklong night-
marish test of every administrative skill imaginable under con-
ditions for which none of us were prepared. Throughout the cri-
sis, Sam did as Sam does; she entrenched herself, focused
unemotionally, and met the challenges that under normal cir-
cumstances would have taken an office full of people to manage.

Park security, at a level no one had ever imagined necessary,
was an immediate concern to ensure that the perpetrators would
not hit again. The Blue program operates meagerly on funds
derived from local and international contributions, and relies
heavily on a volunteer base. No funds existed for any level of
security. So, John, Fred, and volunteers from BIRP and the
National Trust for the Cayman Islands took it upon themselves
to guard the facility until a solution could be found.

John was up early and slept no better than the rest of us.
With emotions high and a growing anger, he still had to man-
age the facility’s daily operation. The work was complicated by
having to monitor all the iguanas for possible signs of injury, as
well as by the almost constant barrage of interruptions from
police inspectors, Department of Environment personnel, and
the press — but, like all others committed to the program, he
reached deep and found the inner strength to expertly manage
the task.

In California, we too were deluged with incoming email and
phone calls. Of paramount importance was the creation of a new
section on the Blue Iguana website to centralize and disseminate
information on the unfolding story. Offers of assistance and dona-
tions, as well as letters of condolence for the fallen, started pour-
ing in from around the world. Ironically, this outpouring provided

Fred Burton on the phone with Dr. Colin Wakelin discussing Jessica’s
declining health. 

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Dr. Colin Wakelin, Department of Agriculture Veterinarian, gives artificial respiration to Jessica as Fred Burton looks on. At this time, Jessica was
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confirmation that our years of effort to bring attention to the
plight of the Blues had been successful. People obviously cared,
but what a horrible price to pay for such attention.

Sarah Agnolin and a group of her friends were exploring
some of Grand Cayman’s caves near the Park when she received
a call from one of her coworkers at the Ritz-Carlton tearfully
informing her of the murders. Sarah works for the Ritz-Carlton’s
Ambassadors of the Environment program taking children and
adults to visit the Blue facility as a part of their program. In her
free time, she and other naturalists from the Ritz, like Kirsten
Werner and Taya Maki, regularly volunteer at the facility. She
called John to get more details on what had happened and to
offer assistance. Over the days to follow, the girls from the Ritz
dedicated every available hour to assisting John. However, their
largest contribution to the crisis was a parallel fundraising effort.
Sarah and her colleague Kurt Christian conceived, negotiated,
and set up donation tables outside Grand Cayman’s busiest
stores with the goal of collecting $3,000. With 50 volunteers
and tables with nothing more than 5-gallon plastic water jugs
with taped-on labels, they reached their goal the first day and,
after three days, had amassed over $16,000 in walk-by dona-
tions. The news had deeply touched and outraged everyone on
the island from top government officials to the old folks on the
East End, and everyone wanted to help.

Behind the scenes, the police and other enforcement offi-
cials were working feverishly to put together the pieces of the
crime. To facilitate identification of the perpetrators, talk of cre-
ating a reward quickly gained support. By the end of Monday,
enough funds had been secured to target the reward at CI
$10,000. Crime Stoppers would handle the promotion, and

local security companies were offering to install security systems
at the facility and in the Park.

On Tuesday (6 May), the Blue Team hit the ground run-
ning, operating at full efficiency. John had the security watch at
the facility the night before, but was nevertheless up at first light.
At the top of John’s priority list was checking on Billy, Archie,
and Matthias. He and Fred were closely monitoring any new
symptoms or signs of health issues. Female Blues were laying
their eggs about a month early, which also would have an impact
on his schedule.

Fred was tireless. He was interviewed for four different
morning shows prior to attending the autopsies conducted by Dr.
Wakelin at the St. Matthew’s Veterinary School’s facility at Lower
Valley. At days end, Fred’s final email to me read: “Nuts here too,
Juan, I am so exhausted I am about to drop. Four different shows in
the morning, the autopsy, on Radio Cayman after that, back to the
Park, and on the phone since I got home. I am humbled by the effort
that others are putting in at the same time, yourselves included, Sam,
John, the National Trust, Department of Environment, and the com-
munity at large. I’m going to have to close down, shower, go out for
some food, and a quiet drink to plan the burial ceremony. I simply
can’t keep focused without something a little restful and a decent
night’s sleep, perhaps. Thanks SO much Juan. Fred.”

On Wednesday (7 May), John arrived early at the Park. To
save time, he decided to take the shortest route and check on
Matthias before checking the others. He found Matthias dead
in his retreat; he had died sometime during the night. John had
reached his breaking point. His eyes welled with tears of rage,
angered that anyone could conceive and carry out such a
hideous crime on such magnificent and unique creatures. The

72 IGUANA  •  VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2  •  JUNE 2008 BINNS

Aerial photograph identifying pen locations for the dead and those that survived. The circle “E” marks the location where Eldemire was found,
and circle “J” where Jessica lay when the murders were discovered. 

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death toll was now at seven. He composed himself before call-
ing Fred.

With the news of Matthias, and fearing that Archie and
Billy’s condition might decline, Fred called Dr. Bonnie Raphael,
Senior Veterinarian, Global Health Programs at the Wildlife
Conservation Society (WCS) in Bronx, New York to ask for
emergency veterinary assistance. That afternoon, Fred gathered
with others at the Department of Environment to attend a
debriefing on the autopsies. Results indicated that besides
humans, canines were involved, adding to the horror to which
these poor creatures had been subjected. The decision was made
to keep information specific to the investigation from the media
and the public at large.

News of the murders reached Dr. Stephanie James, Senior
Veterinarian, Global Health Programs, WCS, who recalls star-
ing at the message for five minutes wondering how something
so awful could happen. Over the next few days, treating goril-
las, frogs, deer, and pheasants, she monitored what was unfold-
ing in Grand Cayman. The news of Matthias’ death reached Dr.
James in the midst of packing for a trip to Anegada, British
Virgin Islands, to perform health assessments on pre-release cap-
tive Anegada Iguanas at the headstarting facility. Dr. Raphael
asked her if she would be willing to travel to Grand Cayman to
assist with Billy and Archie. She agreed without a moment’s hes-
itation and immediately began working on necessary paperwork.
To practice veterinary medicine in the Cayman Islands, she
needed to be licensed, requiring approval from the Department
of Agriculture and the Cayman Islands Veterinary Board. In
Grand Cayman, the senior government officers present took
exceptional steps to facilitate the request so that she could start
work on Billy and Archie as soon as she arrived. Within six
hours of the initial call, she had her license, a process that nor-
mally takes weeks. She packed for the unknown (antibiotics, flu-
ids, analgesics, vitamins, syringes, a blood gas analyzer, and other
potentially useful supplies), and she was scheduled on the first
flight out of JFK the next morning.

Later that same afternoon, Fred went to the Park, and, with
the help of John and Cameron Richardson, a regular volunteer,
carefully captured Billy and Archie so they could be taken to St.
Matthew’s Veterinary School for radiographs. Knowing Dr.
James was due to arrive the next day, he subsequently took Billy
and Archie home, which would better facilitate and expedite Dr.
James’ examination and minimize the stress imposed on the
iguanas.

Fred called that evening to ask if Sandy and I would travel
to Grand Cayman to attend the burial tentatively scheduled for
11 May, and to assist with the crisis. We agreed. Giles Shaxted,
Sam’s partner, worked miracles organizing flight arrangements,
and securing free lodging for us at Compass Point Dive Resort
and Ocean Frontiers Diving, East End, Grand Cayman. The
next day and a half was a blur as we made arrangements to leave.

By Thursday (8 May), news of the murders had gained
international attention and it dominated the news in Grand
Cayman. The influx of condolences, offers of assistance, Blue
sponsorships, and contributions were reaching epic proportions.
The team was completely inundated trying to respond. Things
were no different for John at the Park. The Department of
Environment enforcement and police inspectors again were

looking for any evidence they may have missed. At about 1130
h, they left and Stu arrived to catch up on any developing news
and to give John a hand.

At noon, John received a call from Carl Edwards,
Department of Environment Enforcement; “I think we have
found Pedro, and I need you to come take a look.” John and Stu
followed Carl’s directions. Along the Botanic Park road leading
to the Park’s entrance is a rather obscure side road that leads to
a group of three homes. As they arrived, they saw Carl, police,
and other investigators standing near what appeared to be a dead
Blue Iguana in the apron of the driveway. What was odd about
the location was that a police officer had been there the day
before asking questions, and he could not have missed seeing a
dead iguana. They had returned only to ensure that no details
had been overlooked in the investigation. The body was decom-
posing. John recalls that the body appeared to have been skinned
rather than torn by a dog or other animal. He scanned the
remains with a PIT-tag reader even though the tissue where the
tag is routinely placed was missing — no ID response was
obtained. Then John noticed the right eye had burst. Pedro suf-
fered from a thinning cornea in the right eye, leading to the ten-
tative assumption that this was Pedro. At that point, Carl took
the remains to the Department of Agriculture for examination
and identification. Later, Fred confirmed that the remains were
those of Pedro by using photographs to identify Pedro’s unique
scale pattern.

Dr. James arrived at noon and was escorted quickly through
Customs with the help of an employee from the Department of
Agriculture. She and Fred immediately headed to the house to
evaluate Billy and Archie. The radiographs taken by Dr.
Elisabeth Broussard, veterinarian, Island Veterinary Service, the
day before demonstrated that Billy had fractured ribs and Archie
had fluid in his lungs. The physical exam and blood work indi-
cated that both iguanas had some internal bleeding, but whether
the bleeding was into the lungs or the coelomic cavity was
unclear. Dr. James considered the factors needed to develop a
treatment plan. Both iguanas were large breeding males unaccus-
tomed to being handled; both had internal bleeding and muscle
trauma, so handling would have to be minimized. Such severe
injuries required heat to help the iguanas metabolize some of the

The circle marks the area in which Pedro’s remains were found.



toxic by-products of the trauma, minimize their stress levels, and
allow their immune systems to function optimally. Dr. James and
Fred discussed the cases and decided Billy and Archie should be
placed back in their pens. Being in their established territories
would reduce stress and allow them to thermoregulate, which
would facilitate immune functions.

Once husbandry was decided, a treatment regimen was
determined. Pain medications, antibiotics, and vitamins could
be administered orally, but oral medication could disturb their
normal gastrointestinal flora and curb eating habits. If the igua-
nas stopped eating, determining if anorexia was attributable to
worsening conditions or because they didn’t like the taste of
medication in the food would be difficult. Also, because iguanas
don’t like to soak and rarely drink, increasing their fluid intake
would be problematic. The decision was made to manually
restrain them every three days and administer the treatments.
Billy and Archie received their initial treatment and were moved
back to their pens.

Later that afternoon, Fred and Dr. James went to St.
Matthew’s Veterinary facility to examine and review details of the
autopsies. Some of the post-mortem samples would have to be
sent to the U.S. for further forensic evaluation. Cyclura lewisi are
protected under CITES Appendix I, which meant Dr. James had
a mountain of paperwork ahead of her to obtain the necessary per-
mits, all of which needed to be completed before she departed in

74 IGUANA  •  VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2  •  JUNE 2008 BINNS

Radiographs of Billy (left) and Archie that Dr. Stephanie James
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Dr. Stephanie James, Senior Veterinarian at WCS Wildlife Health
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Dr. Stephanie James injects fluids into the posterior flank of Billy, while
Dr. Elisabeth Broussard injects other meds into his left front leg. 



IGUANA  •  VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2  •  JUNE 2008 75SEVEN BLUES

less than a week. Fred was on the phone contacting the Cayman
Island officials, and Dr. James contacted WCS so they could start
filing paperwork for exporting/importing the samples. Within 48
hours, the CITES export permit was delivered to Fred’s door as
was a document from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service allowing
the samples to be brought into the U.S.

By Friday (9 May), responding to the aftermath of the crisis
had become routine. Sandy and I were airborne when Fred

learned that the remains of the seven could not be buried and
would have to remain in cold storage as potential evidence for any
legal proceeding. John Marotta continued his vigilant monitor-
ing of Billy and Archie, both of whom appeared to be respond-
ing to the treatment, and began to focus his efforts on the females
who were already or about to begin nesting. Fred remained pre-
occupied with the criminal investigation, media, and incoming
contributions. Dr. James visited the facility to monitor treatment,
and worked on obtaining the CITES permits. Sam, and now
Sandy and I, worked to keep the website updated and to respond
to contributions both in the Cayman Islands and in the U.S.
Enforcement continued their investigation.

From Friday until I left the island on 20 May, the daily rou-
tine remained constant. Sandy left for home on the 13th after
reaching a point where remaining didn’t make sense, and my
efforts became divided between assisting Fred, Sam, or John and
working on photographic assignments for the Program. Dr.
James continued treating Billy and Archie until she left on 14
May, handing the responsibility to Dr. Elisabeth Broussard, who
continued the treatment every three days until completion. Billy
and Archie have largely recovered and continue to improve. As
the days passed, our focus shifted to the nesting females. Nests
had to be excavated and eggs gathered.

Dr. Stephanie James working on obtaining CITES permits for
export/import of forensic materials. 

Vials containing samples of the remains that were exported for further
examination.

Dr. Caroline McKinney, St. Matthew’s Veterinary School (left), Fred
Burton, Dr. Stephanie James, and Shana Chin, Scientific Assistant,
Cayman Islands Department of Agriculture preparing samples for
export and crosschecking the Chain of Custody forms for each of the
samples.

The crisis center in Fred Burton’s home office. Samantha Hicks (far
left) and John and Sandy Binns work to respond to the barrage of
incoming correspondence and website updates. 

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One act of insanity killed 17.5% of our captive adults. The
Program is extremely fortunate that the seven lost iguanas had
produced large numbers of offspring and are well represented
genetically. One heartbreaking note is that we had already been
discussing the release of these individuals. They had served the
program well, and were largely responsible for helping to replen-

ish the population. It only seemed right, the royalty that they
were, that they should live their remaining years free in the king-
dom we are working so hard to protect.

This heinous crime and the loss of these animals have
scarred the fiber of our souls. None will be forgotten, and each
will be cherished and remembered for the special creatures they
were. Rest in Peace.

Acknowledgements
Thanks to my wife, Sandy Binns, for her constant support and
encouragement. I am grateful and thank those who contributed
information for this story: Fred Burton, John Marotta,
Samantha Hicks, Dr. Stephanie James, and Sarah Agnolin.
Thanks also to Giles Shaxted for his assistance in providing our
accommodations, and to the Compass Point Dive Resort and
Ocean Frontiers Diving East End, Grand Cayman, which sup-
plied wonderful accommodations during our 11-day stay. I
commend and thank Team Blue volunteers: Stu Petch, Gary
Redfern, Sheilagh Rickford, Kirstyn Werner, Rachel Hamilton,
and all Team Blue volunteers who make this Program possible.
Thanks to the doctors who gave their full support during this
crisis: Dr. Colin Wakelin, Dr. Elisabeth Broussard, Dr. Caroline
McKinney, and Dr. Stephanie James; Shana Chin for her efforts
and assistance with the export samples; Island Veterinary Service
for radiographs; the organizations that continue to support the
efforts of the Blue Iguana Recovery Program: National Trust for
the Cayman Islands, The Department of the Environment, The
Department of Agriculture for the Cayman Islands, and St.
Matthew’s Veterinary School, and the Wildlife Conservation
Society. Thanks also to AJ Gutman and Bob Powell for their
review and comments.

76 IGUANA  •  VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2  •  JUNE 2008 BINNS

The name signs for Pedro, Digger, and Sara that once adorned their
pens, later moved to the facility shed.

John Marotta (back), Sarah Agnolin (left), Rachel Hamilton (center),
and Kirstyn Werner (right); the latter three naturalists, who work as
Ambassadors of the Environment at the Ritz Carlton (by Jean-Michel
Cousteau), worked for days looking for Deborah’s nest chamber. This
was Billy’s first successful mating.

John Marotta loading freshly collected eggs into a box for incubation.

While Fred Burton searches for Vegas’s nest, Archie looks on inquisi-
tively. Archie had already been receiving treatment for over a week
when this photograph was taken, and he was clearly regaining mobil-
ity in his severely injured rear left leg.



IGUANA  •  VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2  •  JUNE 2008 77SEVEN BLUES

In Memory of the Seven Blues
Samantha Hicks

Blue Iguana Recovery Program

Sara’s service to the Program began in 1992. She had been caught in the East End as a young-
ster several years before and we estimate that she was born in 1985. Sara was the first founder
female in the Program and had bred successfully with many males, producing 49 young. She
was the Grand Dame of the captive facility. Dignified and self-contained, she was never
aggressive yet never overtly friendly, just warily tolerant of our presence. Sara’s contribution
to the Program and the survival of her species was invaluable. She was digging a nest when
she was set upon and beaten to death.

Jessica, born in 1993, was the daughter of Sara and Zadok. Like her brother Pedro, she devel-
oped minor eye problems that rendered her a little slower than most iguanas. This factor
added to the impression that she was the gentlest and sweetest of creatures. She bred success-
fully with Daniel and Digger and produced 23 young. She was always ready for attention and
very responsive to voices, making her an easy target for her attackers. Jessica somehow man-
aged to survive the initial attack and fought for her life for over 24 hours before she suc-
cumbed.

Eldemire was born to Mr. Blue and QE in 1990. He was a big beast, but gentle, easily iden-
tifiable by the underbite that showed off his sharp upper teeth, ironic for such a meek soul.
With his long dorsal spines and gargoyle-like features, Eldemire looked like a scraggly old
man and never failed to attract attention from touring visitors. Although not filled with
machismo like his younger brother Digger, Eldemire did sire five young with Sara in 1995.
He was dignified despite his peculiarities, and had warmed to humans in recent years, unfor-
tunately making him all the easier to target. Eldemire’s remains were mutilated and discarded.

Digger touched thousands of people’s lives. He was naturally friendly and was our greatest
ambassador. He was born in 1994, the offspring of Mr. Blue and QE. His first keepers named
him Digger because he used to dig into a plant pot in his cage and hide from them. Digger
was the most loving and inquisitive iguana; he would do almost anything for anybody, espe-
cially if there was a flower or a Noni fruit involved in the bargain. His great love for people
likely contributed to his death. Rather than being afraid of strangers with evil intent, he prob-
ably welcomed their company.

Pedro was the son of Sara and brother to Jessica and was born in 1993. Pedro was a crowd
pleaser. He was capable of flushing up to the most vivid and beautiful shades of blue, so that
one of the most common comments made about him was that he didn’t look real. Like Jessica,
he had minor eye issues. He adored being stroked. He was totally unable to defend himself
and completely unprepared for violence from trusted human beings. Pedro was very proudly
sponsored by Kenrick Webster and was such a gentle role model for his species that he was
chosen to meet The Earl of Wessex on his last visit.

Matthias didn’t succumb to his terrible injuries for several days, behavior typical of this proud
little Blue. Matthias was larger than life and we would have been interested in seeing if he
would have achieved great physical size; born in 2001, at seven years he was a mere young-
ster and should have had at least 60 more years to grow. Son of Nathanial and Ruth, Matthias
was very handsome, a perfectly formed animal with a row of very neat spines and a bright
blue flush. He appeared to know his own worth and cockily taunted much larger iguanas
from inside his earlier wire enclosure. He spent many happy hours dangling his legs from his
favorite perch on a Smokewood branch.

Yellow was our movie star and cover boy. He was born to Dempster and a wild male in 1995.
His eager and sometimes rather aggressive style earned him the Botanic Park’s southern king-
dom, where he dominated 35 acres, intersecting with the territories of six females, until he
was deposed by Forrest in 2004–5. His favorite mate, Sapphire, used to walk far from her ter-
ritory to visit him, but he fell on hard times as a King-in-Exile, and was eventually returned
to the captive facility for a chance to recuperate. He was just beginning to look like his for-
mer self when his life was violently ended. We like to think that he has joined Sapphire, who
was taken from us by dogs in 2006.

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