No. Iguana eggs are neither aphrodisiacs nor boost the immune system. For each iguana that is hunted to access its eggs, not only its survival is put at risk, but the balance in the trophic chain in the ecosystems of the Caribbean region is broken. In other words, there is irreparable damage to the environment.
These animals coveted at this time by illegal trade because they are in full reproductive phase (from January to April), make up the list of threatened species of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development. Read: The most trafficked species during the pandemic in Cartagena and Bolívar
For Jhonny Hernández González, researcher at Fundación Mapache Colombia, the green iguana plays an indispensable role in the ecosystem and makes several arguments.
“The iguana fulfills its role as a seed disperser, it contributes directly to the growth and development of forests. In turn, the faeces they leave along the way, in addition to serving as a bridge for new seedlings, are also closely related to the fertilization of the forest floor. These feces transfer essential nutrients to the soil. The presence of species like the iguana in ecosystems serves as nutritional sustenance for many species of predators, such as mammals, reptiles and birds ”.
The indiscriminate hunting of this reptile has acquired worrying dyes that upset social and economic factors. “The controls are made in this summer time, as in Easter, because that is when traffickers of these species are most present,” says the Environmental Public Establishment, EPA.
Every year the iguana suffers the consequences of a traffic that does not stop and that alerts the authorities to rethink environmental and cultural education strategies to stop this torture.
A CRUEL ‘CAESAREAN’
The extraction of iguana eggs is an agonizing and rudimentary process. The hunters pierce its groin with a knife or razor, extract its matrix, insert grass, sand or sawdust into it, and end up sewn with nylon. After this procedure the females die or become sterile.
“The loss of iguana populations could generate consequences such as the displacement of predators to other areas due to food shortages, even reaching urban areas where a large part of attacks against wildlife occur and the loss of all the benefits mentioned above” adds the expert.
According to figures from the Environmental Public Establishment, EPA Cartagena, between September and December 2020, 87 iguanas were seized and released.
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A PRACTICE THAT DOESN’T CEASE
Lieutenant Andrea Aguirre, head of the Environmental and Ecological Group of the Cartagena Police, assures that to stop this illegal activity, control operations are being carried out in different sectors of the city. Read: The four most fined environmental crimes in Cartagena
He explains that as each iguana can have a maximum of 50 or 70 eggs, if they catch a person with 370 or 400 eggs it means that “they have had to kill at least five or six iguanas”.
“There are people who are still not aware of illegal activity. We continue with an awareness campaign but we consider that the laws are very lax. When individuals are captured, the summons is made but unfortunately it is releaseable. That is to say, the next day he is free but we continue with work and control operations, “he said.
For the director of the EPA, Javier Mouthon, the hunting and consumption of these species that is done more frequently in the Caribbean region requires a process of environmental and cultural education.
“There are many people who still do it naturally and do not take into account that it is illegal. This is a species that is threatened by this commercial overexploitation ”, he notes.
For Angie Tinoco Sotomayor, director of the Fundación Mapache Colombia, the key is to educate citizens and rural communities about the importance of this species.
“As a seed disperser, it would help us to regenerate our green areas and fertilize the soil, two of the most fundamental and costly processes when sowing in the city or the country. It is necessary to bring this knowledge to all citizens and rural communities, so that they see with different eyes the benefits that this species can represent ”.
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SANCTIONS
People who traffic in iguana eggs commit the following crimes:
– Article 328 of the Colombian penal code: illegal use of renewable natural resources.
– Article 339A. Crimes against the life, physical and emotional integrity of animals
“Anyone who by any means or procedure mistreats a domestic, tamed, wild vertebrate or exotic vertebrate animal, causing death or injuries that seriously impair its health or physical integrity, shall incur a prison sentence of twelve to thirty-six months, and special disability of one to three years for the exercise of profession, trade, trade or possession related to animals and a fine of five to sixty current legal monthly minimum wages ”.
– Law 1801 of 2016 article 101. Behaviors that affect wild flora or fauna species.
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