Experts celebrate incredible discovery on tiny island untouched by humans: 'A beacon of hope'

A tiny Caribbean island has become a thriving sanctuary for one of the world's most at-risk reptiles, the Associated Press reported.

Scientists with the Anguilla National Trust launched an effort in 2015 to prevent the Lesser Antillean iguana from becoming extinct. 

They caught the lizards using long sticks fitted with loops, placed them in airy cloth sacks, and carried them across the water to Prickly Pear East Cay, an uninhabited islet free from threats.

The initial group of 10 iguanas has since grown to more than 300 individuals.

The Lesser Antillean iguana faces an unusual challenge: a rival species. Green iguanas, native to regions farther south in the Americas, breed with their Lesser Antillean cousins. 

This crossbreeding weakens the gene pool and threatens the species' long-term survival.

By moving the native iguanas to a protected location free of these competitors, conservationists gave the species room to recover on its own terms. For Caribbean communities, protecting native wildlife like these iguanas helps maintain balanced ecosystems. 

Healthy reptile populations contribute to seed dispersal and vegetation management, which supports the broader food web on which local fishing and tourism industries depend.

The project also united scientists from multiple islands. Researchers later collaborated with Dominica's government to recruit additional breeding partners, thereby strengthening the genetic health of the growing population.

Prickly Pear East Cay has joined four other places around the world where this species is staging a recovery, but the worldwide population is still believed to number below 20,000.

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"It's something that's ours," said Devon Carter, a research officer with the Anguilla National Trust. "We don't have lions, we don't have elephants, but what we do have, we need to appreciate."

Jenny Daltry, Caribbean alliance director for the conservation groups Fauna & Flora and Re:wild, shared a similarly optimistic sentiment.

"Prickly Pear East has become a beacon of hope for these gorgeous lizards and proves that when we give native wildlife the chance, they know what to do," Daltry said.

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