Each year, Shedd Aquarium takes its 80-foot research vessel, the R/V Coral Reef II, to study endangered Bahamian rock iguana populations, alternating years between the Exuma Islands and Andros Island. Annual monitoring is imperative. As regional tourism booms, conditions on the ground change rapidly; regular research helps support management plans that address the current conservation situation.
Over the next 9 days, trip participants of Shedd Aquarium’s Bahamas excursion will be getting their hands dirty as they dig into the research. One of the fun parts of the trip is finding the same iguanas that we’ve worked with for many years. It’s like encountering an old friend. One of the tough parts is getting the work done and still catching some sleep! Once we hit the field, we’ll be operating at full capacity, working hard to be sure that we gather as much useful data as possible in the brief days ahead. That’s where the trip members are lifesavers: many people are seasoned iguana wranglers who accompany Shedd year after year. Without them, our critical work wouldn’t happen.
