tuesday may 19

I would like to post pictures but this computer or Blogger Dashboard won't work. I blame Blogger dashboard or the internet hookup because the computer is good. SO you'll have to use your imagination: turquoise water, soft warm wind, bright sun, lush green islands and throw in the odd thunderstorm! Got it?

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

So today was a great day. We went over to Leaf Cay after breakfast to see what we could do … or not. When we first got there one of the kids had caught an iguana and it was stuck in the net. He waited for about 20 minutes to see if it would deflate. {They puff up to frighten off attackers] but it didn’t. I told him that if he cut the net I had stuff on the boat that would fix it; he got the iguana out and put it in a pillowcase. That’s how the weight them and mark where they were found… pillowcases! Who knew! So we came back to the boat to get the string and needle and went back. At first we were just taking pictures and watching as John explained the whole process of tagging, marking weighing etc. and matching to the records.

One of the girls had to get u and walk around... she’s not doing too well between the boat and land, so I took her place. At first I was just painting them as he finished with the. The skin gets marked with white out so we know that they have been processed.

  

So let me back up. The iguanas are caught with large fishing nets or nooses [like a dog catcher uses] or live traps and put into pillowcases. It calms them down and protects them. The pillowcases are marked with the location where they were found. Then they are brought to the processing station [a bunch of chairs under the trees.] One student weighs them and checks the toes [that’s how they know who it is. Very complicated numbering process] John takes it, checks the size and looks for loose skin, which is taped into the book beside the name. If it’s big enough, and doesn’t have one, they put a pin tag into it… the same kind that dogs and cats get. Then he checks the sex and marks it with the whiteout and lets it go.

Now you would think that these things would be pissed off or scared, and they will try to bite when they are first handled, but while he was working I was sitting beside him and stroking the ones that seemed most agitated and they calmed down. I got to help hold them while he inserted that pin tag, or if he had to remove toes, I painted liquid band-aid on the toenail ends, and painted the spots on their backs. They were all returned to the places where they were picked up and Rick helped return them home. The ones that came from the beach we were sitting on were just released, and John passed them to me to let them go.  They are so cool.

Some of the took off right away,  but some circled back to see if there was any more bait [oranges]…reward for the indignity they suffered and the ones that hadn’t been caught yet came out to the beach to see what was going on…like, hey, can I get some spots, too?

We wrapped up earlier than expected because a huge thunderstorm rolled passed and they didn’t want to leave any iguanas unprocessed, so a small crew of us stayed to finish. It was a terrific experience, and I would LOVE to post the pictures, and I will if I can.  So tomorrow they are coming to our beach. This should be good… these guys are HUGE don here. I have a feeling it will be like wrestling alligators! I’ll be sitting and taking pictures or helping process, not chasing them!!  Keep you posted!