JAMAICA

 
Published: Wednesday 15 November 2000

Jamaican iguana: return from t Jamaican iguana, a lizard, believed to be extinct for nearly 50 years, has been accidentally rediscovered in the Hellshire Hills of Jamaica. This inspired an intensive efforts to save both the Jamaican iguana and the dry tropical forest of the Hellshire Hills, which is the lizard's only dwelling. After minutely surveying the area, Peter Vogel, a herpetologist at the University of the West Indies, has estimated that at least 100 iguanas can be found in the Hellshire hills. "The Hellshire hills has the most significant natural dry forest left in the Caribbean," Vogel said. "Preserving it is very important for the Jamaican iguana's survival. This will also help in maintaining the area's biodiversity." The Jamaican iguana's rediscovery has also focused international attention on the plight of all West Indian iguanas, said Allison C Alberts, head of the ecology department at the San Diego Zoo, us . In 1997, the World Conservation Union had declared these Caribbean islands' iguanas as "the most endangered lizards in the world." The rediscovery of the lizard is being considered important by the wildlife experts.

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