A blue iguana hatchling found in West Bay is safe at the botanic park
Parker Ebanks spotted the young iguana on October 30, far from the only place the species lives on Grand Cayman. National Trust staff say it is doing well in its own enclosure.
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The reporting lives at Cayman Compass. Our summary is checked against it, and we link it on every story.
A blue iguana hatchling found in West Bay is back in care at the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park. Cayman Compass reported on November 7, 2026, that resident Parker Ebanks spotted the animal on October 30 and called the National Trust for the Cayman Islands. Joseph Jamieson, the trust's properties and facility manager, who also oversees fieldwork for the Blue Iguana Conservation Programme, said there is no blue iguana population in West Bay. Staff think the hatchling, about two to four months old, left the botanic park by accident on a car from the visitor lot.
The young iguana is in its own enclosure because it is still very small, and Jamieson said it is doing well. He thanked Ebanks for noticing an animal that is easy to miss. Blue iguanas live only on Grand Cayman. The news is this one rescue. It does not change the wild count, and the exact ride that carried the hatchling across the island is still a guess.
For the classroom
A very young blue iguana turned up in West Bay, on Grand Cayman, where these iguanas do not live. Cayman Compass reported on November 7, 2026, that Parker Ebanks spotted it on October 30 and called the National Trust. Joseph Jamieson said the hatchling was probably carried from the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park on a visitor's car. It is about two to four months old and now has its own enclosure at the park. Jamieson said it is doing well. This news is one rescued hatchling, not a new count of every blue iguana.
- Why would a very small iguana be easy to miss outside the park?
- What should someone do if they find a wild animal far from where it belongs?
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West Bay, Cayman IslandsAnimal rescueWildlife conservationGood news on November 7
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