CHETUMAL, QRoo, September 9, 2018.- After rescuing them in Quintana Roo, the Federal Office of Environmental Protection (Profepa) released 38 juvenile Yucatecan Iguana (Defender Ctenosaura) in the Protected Natural Reserve of the Biocultural State Reserve of Puuc , in the state of Yucatan, considered the best zone to reincorporate them to their habitat, since it would guarantee their survival and successful liberation.
The agency said that the release was made as a result of the coordinated work of the delegations of this Office in the states of Quintana Roo and Yucatan, after the specimens of wildlife were insured in Quintana Roo by agents of the Federal Police.
The inspection personnel were required to identify the reptiles by the Agent of the Public Ministry of the Federation, authority before whom they were made available by the Federal Police.
When they were in view, it was observed that the 38 juveniles transported in a cardboard box, correspond to the Iguana Yucateca de Cola Espinosa (Ctenosaura Defender), a species that is both endangered and endemic, in accordance with NOM-059 -SEMARNAT-2010.
The specimens were delivered to Profepa inspectors in Quintana Roo, who transferred them to the Zoological Garden Payo Obispo in the city of Chetumal, where they stayed for a few days in a temporary shelter, with the purpose of carrying out the veterinary and behavioral medical assessments necessary to determine if they could be released to their natural environment.
From the assessment it was decided that it was viable to return these specimens to their habitat, where they will be able to survive on their own. It was also decided that these animals should not remain in captivity any longer, since the stress that this situation generates them would eventually cause their death.
Specialists also determined that the iguanas should be released in the state of Yucatan and not in Quintana Roo, since there is no record of their presence in this state, in addition Yucatán has the right conditions and necessary habitat for the survival and conservation of this species.
(Ctenosaura Defender) Photo: OLYMPUS CAMERA
Source: quintanaroo.quadratin.com
