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106 IGUANA  •  VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2  •  JUNE 2008 PELKE

Once it began to rain daily, Grand Cayman Anoles (Anolis conspersus) were visible everywhere in the branches and rummaging through
leaf litter on the ground.



IGUANA  •  VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2  •  JUNE 2008 107TRAVELOGUE

3 May 2007
I left Milwaukee on an early morning flight to Georgetown,
Grand Cayman. Despite a half-hour delay leaving Charlotte, I
arrived and slipped through customs with ease, primarily due to
a special letter from the National Trust detailing the electronic
“toys” I was bringing for use in our fieldwork. Fred Burton,
Director of the Blue Iguana Recovery Program (BIRP), and
Doug Bell, my partner in the field, met me at the airport. After
a quick trip to West Bay for some business, we were off to Fred’s
home in Newlands.

After unloading the “toys” at Fred’s house, Doug and I were
off to Boddentown to set up house for the next 13 days. We
made a quick trip to the grocery store for two weeks worth of
“creative” cooking (cost of groceries and lack of energy at the end
of the day make me a less-than-vigorous chef ), followed by a
stop at a local spirits store to stock up on Red Stripe and rum.
These went down well over good conversation while Doug and
I got to know each other.

4 May 2007
Fred had prior commitments at the Blue Iguana Recovery
Program (BIRP) captive facility in the Queen Elizabeth II
Botanic Park (QEIIBP) as a large group of volunteers were due
to arrive to assist with some “gardening” tasks in the adult iguana
pens. The volunteers included employees from the Governor’s
office escaping the grind of the office for a day, and Mariko Jack,
the Governor’s wife. The main task was to remove unwanted
vegetation, mainly grasses, from the pens, where they choke out
other desirable (i.e., edible) species of plants. Removing the
largely dried grasses now would allow the coming rains to reach
the remaining food plants more easily.

The enthusiastic group vigorously cleared the pens, and an
added bonus was the donation of numerous new and incredibly
useful tools, such as garden forks, shovels, pruners, loppers, and
rawhide gloves. BIRP staff greatly appreciates such tools to assist

T R A V E L O G U E

Tales of a Blue Dragon Tracker: 
Grand Cayman Blue Iguana 

Fieldwork 2007
Craig Pelke

Milwaukee County Zoo
Photographs by the author unless otherwise indicated.

The completed nest mound constructed by Chris Carr, Doug Bell, and
the author. 

GG, a handsome adult male Grand Cayman Blue Iguana (Cyclura
lewisi) strikes a pose.



with regular enclosure maintenance as well as other tasks neces-
sary for the husbandry of the Blue Iguanas.

Another important task on our list was the construction of
a nesting site for one of the Park’s free-ranging females. In 2006,
her eggs had been spoiled by rainwater pooling in the spot where
she had chosen to lay her clutch. The nest-building crew was
made up of Chris Carr (BIRP warden), Doug, and me, and
involved relocating (shoveling!) 1.5 pick-up beds full of soil into
this female iguana’s preferred nesting area. This upgrade should
improve the chances for survival of her next clutch.

After lunch, Fred and Doug started preparations for the
first day of fieldwork in the Salina Reserve. Aside from the nor-
mal planning, Fred and Doug introduced themselves to some of
the new electronic equipment I had brought for the numerous
research endeavors. That evening, we attended a ribbon-cutting
ceremony in Boddentown to commemorate the rebuilding of
the Boddentown Mission House. After decades of decay, this
culturally significant early 20th Century historic building had

been destroyed by Hurricane Ivan in 2004. Although the
evening was typically warm by Grand Cayman standards and I
was required to wear pants instead of shorts (in Wisconsin, I
start wearing shorts once it hits 45 °F), witnessing some of the
cultural history of the island and touring the rebuilt house was
a great experience.

5 May 2007
After an early rise, we were off to the Salina Reserve. As eager as
I was to begin our fieldwork, I still felt some hesitation approach-
ing the treacherous beauty of the Salina. The thought of seeing
individuals of one of the world’s rarest iguanas roaming through
the bush as they should is quite the incentive. On a more per-
sonal note, seeing some of the “children” growing up and doing
well is also very rewarding. This is my fifth tour of duty on
Grand Cayman to assist with the recovery of the species, and
besides watching the many released iguanas grow and mature,
the fieldwork provides me with a bit of professional sanity.

108 IGUANA  •  VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2  •  JUNE 2008 PELKE

RYB, a four-year-old female Blue Iguana was our first and easiest
capture.

RYB felt quite comfortable alongside members of Team Blue ’07 in the
Central Zone base camp.

RYB modeling her newly attached antenna accessories.



IGUANA  •  VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2  •  JUNE 2008 109TRAVELOGUE

Our goal was to collect tracking data for a group of 20
Grand Cayman Blue Iguanas of varying demographics (males
and females, two to five-year-old age classes) to add to the data
bank Fred has been building over three years of tracking in the
Salina’s Central Zone (CZ). First, we needed to catch iguanas to
which we would attach the radio antennas. Our first capture was
almost expected and would have been a very safe bet. RYB, or
“Rib,” as we like to call her (officially she is known as red-yel-
low-blue, which are her bead colors read from outside in), a
four-year-old female with a history of being a “trap magnet,” was
trapped almost immediately after she was seen. She very casu-
ally sidestepped a lizard noose, and actually oversaw the setting
of her own trap from two meters away! The traps used were the
common metal live animal traps in three sizes.

Overall, we had a very successful first day, with six iguanas
trapped and “processed.” Processing consists of verifying iden-
tity (beads, PIT, and sex), checking/noting physical condition
(sheds, injuries/scars, missing toes or tail tips, etc.), measuring
snout-vent length and tail length, weighing, and applying a
radio antenna. Fred diligently takes all notes for his data stores
on the population. When females are captured, we also palpate
for early signs of egg production. Finally, we release the iguana
where we trapped it, and reset the trap in a spot where another
iguana was seen or “rumored” to be traveling.

The process of trapping can be very challenging. If you
check the trap too soon, you could inadvertently chase away an
interested iguana, but if you do not check soon enough, the
iguana could perish in the severe tropical sun/heat (it was in the
mid-90s with matching humidity). Traps are baited with a tasty

iguana treat, incredibly overripe banana. Very disgusting! I have
a fairly strong stomach due to the great variety of animal feces I
have cleaned up in my zoo career, but this was a tough one.
However, to an iguana searching for food, this is intoxicating,
and almost 100% irresistible. Some iguanas were caught multi-
ple times.

While checking the circuit of traps, I took the time to reac-
quaint myself with the system of paths we had hacked out of the
bush in previous sessions. I find it interesting how quickly the
terrain and vegetation types can change from visit to visit while

The author baiting a trap with pieces of banana that are hard to resist
(if you’re an iguana).

Geckos known locally as Woodslaves (Aristelliger praesignis praesignis)
were frequent guests at our lodging in Boddentown.



hiking through the network of paths. The paths also take on a
different look as shadows change through the day. The Grand
Cayman Banana Orchid (Schomburgkia thomsoniana var. thom-
soniana) was sending up new flower spikes, and many of the
paths were in need of trimming.

Aside from looking for more iguanas to trap, I also look for
other indigenous wildlife, especially reptiles. On one round, I
spotted a large gecko (Aristelliger praesignis praesignis), sometimes
called a “Woodslave,” and a large male Grand Cayman Anole
(Anolis conspersus lewisi). This subspecies differs from the more

common nominate species as it tends to have a whiter ground
color with a paler pattern. Fred mentioned that they are rather
tough to find and, of course, I had chosen not to tote my cum-
bersome camera on that particular round. My “tough find” pro-
ceeded to position himself head down and perform his territo-
rial ritual, complete with extensive head bobbing and dewlap
extension. Must carry the camera at all times!

We exited the Salina after 6 pm, exhausted, extremely
warm, sweaty, quite smelly (!), and in need of cool drinks and a
functioning shower. However, we were quite satisfied with our
catch for the day, which would allow us to begin radio-tracking
the next day. 

6 May 2007
Once again we were off to the Salina. We try to begin radio-
tracking at 8 am, so we needed to be at the roadside entrance no
later than 7:30 am to begin our hike to the CZ “base camp.”
Fred began tracking the six iguanas that we had trapped the pre-
vious day while Doug and I began setting up traps. Doug
devised a plan for trap placement based on some of his observa-
tions the previous afternoon and they paid off immediately. By
10:30 am, we had three iguanas caught and processed, includ-
ing a two-year old (all iguana ages used in this writing were
based on how old they would be as of August 2007). At that
point, Fred began training Doug in the fine art of tracking Blues
through the Salina. I continued trapping.

110 IGUANA  •  VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2  •  JUNE 2008 PELKE

Essential equipment (minus the trap) to be hauled through the bush on every tracking round.

A male Grand Cayman Anole (Anolis conspersus).



IGUANA  •  VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2  •  JUNE 2008 111TRAVELOGUE

One particular iguana managed to continuously elude my
attempts to nab her. At one point, she was actually in the trap
eating the banana bait while I watched. When she finished the
banana, she casually walked out of the trap, and then, with a
quick burst, vanished behind an agave. Another iguana that had
been “playing” with me for the last two days was “Wiggly
Worm,” more officially known as WGW (white-green-white).
Once again, he had the last laugh of the day. He was analyzing
the large trap specifically set for him by the large Manchineel
Tree (Hippomane mancinella) while I went on my final round to
check and close traps. He then casually inspected another trap I
had just shut down. The only thing that made me feel better is
that he probably would not have fit into that one, as he is grow-
ing into quite a hulking specimen. I believe tomorrow he will be
in our hands.

Throughout these exercises, I had noticed that I did not
seem to be handling the tropical temperatures and humidity as
well as I have on past trips. At noon, I took a reading of a palm
frond that was elevated about 4 in off the ground, and had been
in shade all morning beneath our newly constructed white-
sheet canopy. Now I know why I felt so poorly. My TempGun
informed me that it was 96.4 °F; the ground in the shade was
98.4 °F. At 4:30 pm, the same palm frond was down to 88.4
°F. That was a far cry from the mid-50s with a lake wind that
my wife had reported that day for Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Spring in Wisconsin this year was actually more like prolonged
winter, so my body was not used to anything approaching trop-
ical temperatures.

7 May 2007
Once again we were on our way into the Salina. Doug and Fred
really set a pace this morning. Fred believes it’s like riding a bike,
the faster you go, the easier it is to balance. Doug concurred. I
prefer to set my own pace to avoid premature crucifixion on the
dreaded razor-sharp karst rock.

Today I was trapping more iguanas while Fred and Doug
shared radio-tracking responsibilities. Trapping started off pretty

slow, and my confidence was on the brink until Fred called with
good news. After some mild tweaking of my trap placement,
OGO had been apprehended. After processing him, I moved
the trap to the southwestern part of the CZ where a small iguana
hovered while I set and baited the trap — and started moving
in as I walked away. I decided to wait on this one, and was not
disappointed. Not more than five minutes later the trap was
sprung and iguana #2 was caught. By the end of the day, two
more were caught, including a valuable two-year old. Iguanas in
this age class, the youngest presently in the Salina, are so far
underrepresented in our data. The only disappointment was my
continuing inability to nab “Wiggly Worm.” I believe I would
have had the big male if he hadn’t been trying to get some Noni
fruit (Morinda citrifolia) from a trap that was too small for him.
He apparently triggered the trap, but backed himself out, and
was spooked for the day. We’ll get him tomorrow.

Noni fruit really stinks! Rotting blue cheese comes to mind,
yet the iguanas flock to it, and other animals enjoy it as well.
Fred said that a juice made out of it is supposed to cure all that
ails you, and is thought to enhance sexual prowess. I can’t help
but think, based on the smell, that it would have the opposite
effect on me.

Hard to believe, but it actually was hotter today. My 12:30
pm reading was 97.4 °F in the shade. I am handling the tropi-
cal weather better today, having drunk water like a camel this
morning. My real nemesis now appears to be the dreaded
Maiden Plum (Comocladia dentata). I feel I have been doing
quite well in avoiding it, yet I have the tell-tale red itchy blotches
all over my forearms. After an incredibly refreshing shower, I
realize I must have rubbed some Maiden Plum sap inadvertently
around my right eye. This is only my third day in the Salina
with many more to go, and I already have a serious case of plant
poisoning and a bit of heat rash as well.

The author found the Noni fruit (Morindra citrifolia), with its rotten
cheese smell, incredibly repulsive, but the Blue Iguanas found it to be
an irresistible bait. 

Tracking data sheets, zone map, and data code descriptions.



8 May 2007
A new task for me in the Salina today; aside from trapping, I was
going to begin some rounds of iguana tracking. While this is rig-
orous, I was eagerly anticipating it, as the busy pace makes the
day go faster. Because of my trapping duties, I was only respon-

sible for tracking three iguanas, while noting any other iguanas
seen, antenna or not.

Most of the excitement occurred right in the base camp as
PRP (pale blue-red-pale blue), a five-year-old dominant male,
made his first advances on RYB (red-yellow-blue), who is large
enough to breed for the first time. PRP’s advances were typical
of male rock iguanas. He bobbed his head, jaws gaping, and col-
ored as bright blue as he could get. RYB was not receptive, but
this did not thwart PRP as he continued to chase, bite, and
appear very threatening as we observed the spectacle from front
row seats.

112 IGUANA  •  VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2  •  JUNE 2008 PELKE

PRP, a five-year-old male, introduces RYB to the rough and tumble
world of Cyclura courtship with a nuchal bite.

RYB (foreground) guarded by her mate PRP (background).

PRP, a five-year-old dominant male.

During one of PRP’s many advances, RYB exhibits the “no” posture.

PRP catching the early morning sun.



IGUANA  •  VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2  •  JUNE 2008 113TRAVELOGUE

Dark clouds had begun accumulating and thickening, by
11 am we heard thunder in the distance. By 11:30 am, the
Salina and its inhabitants were receiving a much-needed soak-
ing as the sky poured forth, leaving us scrambling to cover non-
waterproof items and equipment. I hastily cut numerous fan
palm fronds to use as mini-umbrellas for backpacks and gear.
When the rain let up, Fred placed a call to get a weather report
for the rest of the day — bad news for tracking. Aside from cool-
ing temperatures, which caused iguanas to seek shelters, carry-
ing large metal antennae during a storm is rather risky. We
packed our gear, and beat a soggy retreat from the Salina.

9 May 2007
The Salina was absolutely beautiful today. The vegetation was
still beaded with rain drops. The temperature was a pleasant
81.1 °F, but the humidity had to have been 100%. After the
long stretch of dry weather, you could almost hear the Salina
sucking it up.

The real beauty of the morning was from the sounds that
were heard, and the sounds that were not. With no wind
rustling dry palm fronds, we could hear the birds so much more
clearly. The most prominent was the call and response of

Northern Flickers (Colaptes auratus). The stillness of the air also
improved our ability to hear iguanas for tracking. The rains
brought out the anoles, which could be heard as they bounced
from plant to plant, sometimes fooling us into thinking they
were passing iguanas (yes, they can sound that loud). I witnessed
a pair of male Grand Cayman Anoles (A. conspersus), one brown,
the other gray, act out a territorial ritual of headbobbing and full
extension of their bright blue dewlaps. I frequently have seen
Black Crabs (Gecarcinus ruricola), but today was the first time I
saw the Land Crab (Cardisoma guanhumi), which is consider-
ably bigger and more menacing. I don’t startle easily, but this
crab got me good as it sidestepped across the path where I was
not expecting anything but an iguana. Everything was coming
alive after a refreshing drink of water.

Tracking was fairly uneventful due to the previous day’s
storm, with cooler temperatures and only partly sunny skies.
Many of the iguanas spent the night where they were caught in
the rain yesterday, instead of returning to their normal retreats.
Then the rains came again. As the skies opened up, we were dis-
cussing our exit plan after another half-day of data collecting. As
I closed traps for the day, I did see “Wiggly Worm” duck into
the rocks where he had been hanging out. I followed his trail
and at last discovered the location of his retreat, a large fissure in
a mound of karst rock. This will be priceless knowledge as we
continue our attempts to trap him for the radio-tracking study.
The day was not a total loss!

Another great discovery was the sight of “Egypt” (GYP,
green-yellow-pale blue) as we slogged our way from the CZ to
the North Zone (NZ) on our way to the Queen’s Highway. Fred
had been wondering where this male had been. Was he displaced
by “Wiggly Worm” or did he just not make it? Now we know.
He casually crossed the trail in front of us during the downpour,
barely acknowledging us, but providing us ample chance to visu-

PRP patrolling his territory.

PRP courting RYB just outside the Central Zone’s base camp. This pair
was completely unconcerned by human presence.

A spectacular Cuban Tree Frog (Osteopilus septentrionalis) that inhab-
ited the garden outside the Boddentown residence.



ally check his proportions and to breathe a sigh of relief on see-
ing this guy alive and clearly doing well.

10 May 2007
Today was not a banner day. Equipment shortages and losses
slowed us down. I was the designated trapper today, and came
up with a goose egg. The only other days during which I was
skunked could be attributed to the weather (and were not my
fault!). A ten-hour day in the Salina seems never-ending when
you are hot, sweaty, and feel like you are not contributing.

We had a “guest” in the Salina today, a Master’s degree stu-
dent from Exeter University who was shadowing us to learn
some of the basics of radio-tracking animals. His project will
involve the introduced Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus) on
Grand Cayman. He handled the terrain fairly well for his first
time, but I think he managed to develop a healthy respect for
what we do.

One of the few positives of the day was the return of other
forms of wildlife to the Salina after the recent rains. The anoles
came out in force, with many large adult males displaying to
their rivals. The bush seemed alive with birds, and for the first
time I heard Grand Cayman Parrots (Amazona leucocephala cay-
manensis) chattering in large numbers. They inhabit the thicker
forests in the Salina, but today they were heard throughout the
xerophytic scrub. I also heard one of my favorites, the croaking
of the Cuban Tree Frog (Osteopilus septentrionalis), which
reminds me of some of the carbonation-generated noises pro-
duced by my son.

11 May 2007
I was going to be tracking all day along with my trapping duties.
Things were not looking good in the morning, when a large gray
cloud seemed to literally cover the Salina Reserve. I went to re-
bait my traps around 11:30 am to give them something fresh
during the “dead hours” of the day. While I was engineering a
“chute” for a young iguana, grW (small green-small red-white),
to go directly from its retreat to a trap, I received a call from Fred
that I had an iguana in another trap. It was YBY (yellow-blue-
yellow), a male we had yet to see during our jaunts through the
Salina, and a needed candidate for the study. I carefully (more
for my health than the iguana’s) removed him from the trap and
carried him back to the processing center at base camp when I
received another call from Fred that I had yet another iguana! It
was the trap I had just baited with the engineered chute! Things
were rolling now. Fred and I rapidly processed the pair of igua-
nas so we could get back to our tracking rounds, but all were
pleased with the trapped pair, especially another much-needed
two-year old.

Another interesting result of recent rains seemed to be the
hatching of anoles. Very small hatchlings were everywhere, leap-

The “engineered” trap created to catch Wiggly Worm (WGW), a very
large and cunning male Blue Iguana.

114 IGUANA  •  VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2  •  JUNE 2008 PELKE

grW displaying the beadwork that helps trackers with binoculars to
easily identify individual iguanas.

A racer (Alsophis cantherigerus) captured by the author at QEII Botanic
Park. 

D
O

U
G

 B
EL

L



ing from branch to branch like monkeys. Sightings of racers
(Alsophis cantherigerus) also began to increase. These are beauti-
ful snakes that are opportunistic feeders, which unfortunately
includes young iguanas. Interestingly, if you are fast enough to
catch one of these snakes, they never bite, unlike their cousins
in North America in the genus Coluber. However, you will be
generously coated with some nasty smelling musk.

Tracking was fairly uneventful today due to the large gray
cloud that continued to hover over us. The exception was
Doug’s iguanas, which continued to have him running madly
through the bush. We actually had a cool ocean breeze hitting
us in the afternoon, which is wonderful for us endothermic
bipeds, but not so good for iguanas. Temperatures in the mid-
80s make them want to head for shelter.

We continued to track Wiggly Worm, the big old male we
had yet to trap, monitoring him visually as well as we could. He
seemed more interested in cruising his territory than eating the
“treats” we left for him. We also believe he may be trap-shy as he
may have triggered a smaller trap, wiggling his way out
unharmed but full of newfound wisdom. Fred decided that we
needed to engineer a chute that would give him no option but
to be funneled into a trap when he heads out in the morning.

We were optimistic for tomorrow as we started our long
trek out of the Salina. To cap our day, Fred found the GPS unit
we had lost the day before.

12 May 2007
Saturday morning, and Doug and I feel as though we have been
hit by a truck (possibly the same one). This would be our eighth
straight day in the Salina. Other than two days cut short by
storms, we had no time off to lick our wounds. Even on the half
days, we had to hike in and out of the Salina, which is half the
battle. However, we are eager to see if we caught ourselves a
Wiggly Worm.

We did our first round of tracking at 8 am. Afterwards, I
set some traps and checked Wiggly Worm’s status. No iguana in
the overnight trap — but, while I was nearby setting a mid-sized
trap, I heard the distinct sound of claws on metal coming from
his retreat. We set out again for our 9 am round, and, when I
returned, there he was looking quite sedate in his metal trap. I

immediately phoned Fred so that he could meet me at base
camp after his current round and help process the big male —
and big he was, measuring in at almost 1.5 kilos. He was the
biggest iguana we had processed, and I actually put on a leather
glove to remove him from the trap for fear of having my hands
and wrists shredded by powerful claws as he struggled to free
himself.

Meanwhile, in the west end, Doug continued to observe
fascinating inter-iguana social dynamics among the several resi-
dent males and females. Imagine Blue Iguanas playing the parts
on the “Bold and the Beautiful.” One of the iguanas on my cir-
cuit, OGO (orange-green-orange), decided to explore a new
“frontier,” which left me doing a lot of bush-whacking to find
him. I traversed a specific route so many times that in the
process I inadvertently started a new trail, breaking numerous
branches to get to him.

I heard a new bird call today, which sounded quite bizarre.
It was the Mangrove Cuckoo (Coccyzus minor), which sounded
more like a frog call than a bird. Fred said that they are often
called “rain birds,” since many Caymanians believe that you hear
them before it rains, but he believes that they are more likely to
call after the rain. Today, however, they called before the rain,
although we received only a light sprinkle at midday.
Nevertheless, storm clouds were within sight (and sound).

A major thunderstorm north of us brought clouds and
cooler weather in the afternoon, leading to an early bedtime for
most iguanas, so we called it quits an hour early to avoid the col-
lection of unimportant data points. We decided that the next day

IGUANA  •  VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2  •  JUNE 2008 115TRAVELOGUE

The author and Wiggly Worm (WGW) just before his post-process-
ing release.

Whitewood flowers, a natural food source and bait item for Blue
Iguanas.



would be a day of rest, as both Doug and I needed to give our
aching feet and ankles a break from the razor-sharp karst rock.

13 May 2007
A day of rest in Boddentown gave me a chance to relax and
enjoy some of the local wildlife not found in the Salina. The
beach is well-populated with Curly-tailed Lizards (Leiocephalus
carinatus varius) or “Lion Lizards,” which offer a great deal of
entertainment during daylight hours. Last year when I stayed in
Boddentown, a pair inhabited a large concrete structure in the
middle of the beach. Sure enough, another pair (possibly the
same pair?) was residing in the same location. This time, how-
ever, many neighboring curly-tails caused the dominant male to
be constantly on the alert to defend his territory. Once he took
a break to breed the female, who, judging by her reaction, was
quite receptive to his advances.

Another distraction came from a horde of hatchling Black
Crabs. They are everywhere, crawling on the floors and walls of
structures, and likely in the dried grass outside. I even found
some in my clothes and hair! I couldn’t help but think of the
enjoyment my son would have with all of these baby crabs.

A major storm moved through in the afternoon, extin-
guishing any pangs of guilt at not being in the Salina.
Unfortunately, it put a damper on our plans to take an after-
noon snorkeling trip to Smith’s Cove, because the rough water
persisted for the rest of the day. By the end of the afternoon, I
noticed that the swelling in my feet and ankles had subsided,
and my numerous Maiden Plum spots were starting to fade.
This day off was just what I needed to build up some vigor for
my last two days of fieldwork.

14 May 2007
Back to the Salina, where the number of iguanas in the study
now stood at 18, so we decided to divide them into groups of six
based on their apparent territories. Of course, some of the dom-
inant breeding males travel all over the CZ, so the divisions did-
n’t always help a tracker’s hourly rounds as much as one might
hope. Doug especially can attest to this unfortunate reality.

The clouds stayed away for the most part, allowing the
iguanas to toast up for the day’s activities. For the trackers, it was
another story. The humidity was higher than normal, especially

after the rain the day before. The strong breeze that occasionally
blew cool air off the ocean was bitter-sweet, as it felt refreshing
but also stirred our stench. Regardless, we all collected a great
deal of data for Fred’s research.

One of my four-year-old females, GOP (green-orange-pale
blue, “the Republican”), was out and about, which was nice, as
she seems always to be hunkered down in her rocky retreat.
Unfortunately, her adventures were interrupted by a hormone-
driven Wiggly Worm, who was intent on either breeding or
mate-guarding her. The nervous GOP quickly made for another
hole, and didn’t reappear for the rest of the day.

Amazingly, I caught my first anole as we began our last
round of the day. On all of my previous visits, I could never
catch one, but I caught a large male as he was displaying to
another. I think I was more shocked than he was, but he quickly
answered with a loud squeak and surprisingly strong bite to the
palm of my hand. Luckily, Doug was there to capture the
moment with his camera.

15 May 2007
Today is my last day in the Salina, so I am trying to soak it all
in as I hike into the CZ. Fred has a bruised knee, so for once we
get there before him. The leaves have finally dried from Sunday’s
heavy rain, but the humidity is still much higher than normal,
and the continuous stream of sweat has my shirt completely
soaked by the time I get to base camp. Because we are early, I am
able to set a trap before my 8 am round of tracking.

Today turns out to be a very odd day of tracking, as we all
get many peculiar readings. A lot of this is expected and attrib-
utable to signals bouncing off the large blades of karst rock, but
some new problems are cropping up. The antennae and the
worn cords on the receivers are starting to show some wear and
tear. At one point, Fred is getting a 99% reading, which would
indicate that the iguana is just under your nose, but instead I see
the iguana around 10 m away in the opposite direction. Similar
conflicting signals have me going the wrong way quite fre-
quently, which proved very frustrating.

116 IGUANA  •  VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2  •  JUNE 2008 PELKE

A nesting test hole at QEII Botanic Park. 

The author releasing YOY after the iguana was trapped and processed. 



IGUANA  •  VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2  •  JUNE 2008 117TRAVELOGUE

Doug calls us with good news. He has BYB (blue-yellow-
blue), a five-year-old male who has joined the already interesting
behavior dynamics of 2.2 iguanas in the western part of the CZ.
He was originally released in the NZ and has migrated south, put-
ting our study group at 19, one shy of the goal of 20. Interestingly,
Doug did not trap the large male, but instead, simply grabbed
him. Apparently, BYB was so focused on breeding OPY (orange-
pale blue-yellow) that he did not even notice Doug moving in.
Very impressive on Doug’s part (nice grab, mate!), but this set Fred
and me back as we had to take the time to process BYB, and then
do our own round of tracking. Because the middle of the day is
when iguanas are most active, this had us running straight for
about two hours in the tropical steam of the Salina.

Our clear blue skies turned to storm clouds in mid-after-
noon, which sent the iguanas into their retreats for the day. We
finished our last round at 3:30 pm as it started to sprinkle, so we
cut our day short and began what would be my last hike out of
the Salina during this tour of duty. I couldn’t help but have
mixed feelings of relief and sadness as we trekked out.

I spent my last night at Sunset House, a dive resort in
southern Georgetown on the edge of the sea. Doug, Fred, and I
enjoyed a great meal while watching the sea swallow the sun.

16 May 2007
I am now sitting at Owen Roberts International Airport, await-
ing my departure from Grand Cayman and left to contemplate
the past two weeks. I’m always excited about escaping my job at
the zoo to take in some fieldwork. I like to think of it as great
therapy for my “professional sanity reclamation project.” Playing
a role in a field project such as that run by BIRP is also very
rewarding. I’m proud to have been part of a great team that is

working to save an endangered species, especially one as beauti-
ful and charismatic as the Grand Cayman Blue Iguana, the Blue
Dragon of the Caribbean.

Can you see the iguana? 




