Cull surpasses 2017 numbers in first week
Fred Burton, manager of the DoE Terrestrial Unit
(CNS): The Department of Environment says more than 53,000 green iguanas were culled during the first week of this year’s island-wide cull, which is almost double the 28,985 bagged during the underfunded and limited efforts last year, demonstrating that this time the research has paid off. DoE Terrestrial Resources Unit Manager Fred Burton said improvements in payment arrangements and a higher bounty for each iguana has substantially increased interest. “It’s been a great effort so far, but we would expect the daily numbers to decline somewhat from here as the green iguanas get a bit harder to find,” he said.
Nine days into the cull (6 November), more than 67,000 iguanas had been killed, according to figures supplied by the DoE. As cullers stay committed to their targets, the department is reminding all those involved they must work within the limits of local law.
“Unless a culler has been specifically authorised to do so via their culling agreement, green iguana heads will no longer be accepted for payment at the George Town landfill site following a number of incidents where headless carcasses were irresponsibly discarded,” officials said.
Registration with the DoE does not allow cullers to trespass on private property, nor does registration permit the use of an air rifle unless the person has been licensed to do so by the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service.
The DoE stressed that, under their contract terms, cullers must abide by the conditions of their air rifle licences and adhere to the instructions provided regarding humane treatment of animals being culled. Failure to follow the law or cull rules may result in having a registration pulled, which means a culler will no longer be eligible to participate in the programme.
Category: Land Habitat, Science & Nature
7,500 per day. Yea right. If Caymanians worked that hard they wouldn’t need to be filling their time on a pointless cull.
Somewhat puzzling….
What property management and financial and accounting expertise has to do with managing iguanas cull? Doesn’t make any sense.
Cornwall Consulting has no public website, at least I haven’t found it. Why that?
It’s like hiring a law firm specialising in estate transactions to oversee
and count turtles hutchings.
Shouldn’t a cobbler stick to his last?
Accounting expertise.. he can add! ?
I think everyone is missing an opportunity. Iguana skin can be made into all sorts of products, wallets, key chains, business card holders, belts… imagine how cool it’d be for the tourists to buy this stuff knowing they were actually helping the environment!
Cornwall Consulting. Very interesting.
Please set out the rules for “responsibly discarding” because from what I have heard, too many still leave carcasses all over the place which in itself brings other issues…Nobody should be collecting fees unless the entire carcass is handed over…..
The bounty should be higher for:
– Females
– Pregnant Females
– Live Nests
– Eggs
said this before…but was shot down by caymankind brainiacs….
You’re right. It’s still a stupid idea. Just kill them all!!!
Of course we want them all gone. But if you target the females and nests they won’t reproduce as quickly.
Roosters and chickens are next ?
Isn’t a rooster also a chicken?
GOOD JOB TO ALL CULLERS..Today I saw a van somewhere parked off the road and I thought for a moment it had broken down..When I was going home for lunch I saw 3 men there loading a 55 gallon garbage bin with them which appeared to be almost full done. 3hrs later I was passing through the area the van was still there those guys was working the big pc of land..Am so happy its happening I truly can see the difference all over there are hardly any dead on the road..KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK ALL. Despite all the negative comments..
Thanks to the DOE for their effort and organization. Already I can see the difference in my area. Hip-hip-hooray!
Yeah right, thanks to money from CIG because without that motivation, nothing would have happened.
Thanks DOE for not protecting the endangered turtles and dwindling stocks of lobsters and conch etc….
Where are the Officers, why isn’t this surplus of money being spent where it’s truly needed?
Great job. But can someone tell them not to shoot into trees surrounding properties unless they shoot away from the direction of the properties. Pellets were flying above our heads in the garden the other day. The men were stood shooting from the road outside with no regard for my family and dogs sat in the garden. They had no permission to shoot on or into our property, and my neighbours had similar concerns. We shouldn’t have to lock ourselves in our houses but a pellet in the wrong place can injure someone, so had no choice as I feared for the children and pets. I hope they are insured against such events because we all know medical attention for pets or humans is expensive on island.
Why didn’t you call the police? Clearly they were outside their permits if the did have one.
I had a similar problem sat out on my balcony just over a week ago on a Sunday morning. I called police who told me to call Dept of Environment. DOE didn’t know what to do and told me to call the police. When I told them the police referred me to them, they gave me 2 numbers for the guy at Cornwall, neither of which worked. The people I spoke to were all very lovely but I was put to a lot of trouble and it was a complete waste of time!
So… video and then call the RCIPS and hope they show up.
Dude. If my kids and pets were in that situation the last thing I would be thinking is wait, let me take a video of the cullers. I’d be too busy steering my family and pets into the house out of harms way. Besides, anyone would understandably feel a bit exposed taking a movie of guys with guns!
I hear a boat load came in from Honduras yesterday
They need a boat load delivered there as they are not as plentiful down there anymore..and to buy them there its expensive
More valuable than the drugs and guns. I’m getting rich quick.
who’s counting and where are the bodies?
You should have had to store them in your house you Moron! What you think happened to them captain Obvious?
guilty conscience speaking?
CNS, can you run information on who and how counts culled iguanas and who monitors the process? A field trip perhaps? The potential for fraud and collusion is high. Members of public have right to know.
CNS: The question of who is counting and monitoring the process has been answered: Cornwall Consulting – Accounting skills land property firm green iguana job. I can’t promise a field trip as we’re permanently sreatched here at CNS and I’m not sure what that would achieve. I am sure, though, that the DoE is very serious about the need to drastically reduce the population and are therefore very motivated to make this work.
Thanks CNS. Somehow I had missed that article.
Anyhow, I couldn’t find Cornwall Consulting site to see what they actually do. “Property management” expertise doesn’t explain why were they selected. Accountants and auditors, and I don’t know if CC employs them, don’t count dead rotting animals. #1 they have to be physically strong, #2 -protected from health hazard (see the comment below) That means Cornwall Consultants subcontracted individuals to physically count and handle rotting animals. If so, who are they? Because neither auditors nor accountants, let alone financial analysts would do that.
“Counting thousands of dead iguanas a day, most of which will have been ripening in the sun for several days, melting into one big rotten mass. A job for an auditor with a strong stomach and nothing else to do.”
A side note. You don’t need “strong record of financial management and accounting experience” to manage the islandwide green iguana cull project”. Seems like an overkill to me.
yeah…great. but most of tge cullers i overhear saying they gonna catch 1000 then quit as it will get harder as numbers come down? one says…if i get 5k from them…i going quit as it get too hard afterwards?
Caymankind
Iguanas carry disease. Be careful when handling them/
Good job, keep it up.