# Fijian iguanas



## sharpshot232 (May 24, 2010)

I love thesE animals I wish they weren't illegal as they are up there with the gtp for me. Are they illegal cause of the risk of being the new cane toad or does it pose a pest and diesease risk . Shorely the southern Australian environment can't sustain run aways . What are the views of the people that matter aps members ???


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## Kenshin (May 24, 2010)

i belive they are illegle because they are a) an exotic and b) internationally illegal because they are CITES listed


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## slim6y (May 24, 2010)

From Australia Zoo:
Diet

"A Fijian Crested Iguana's diet is mainly herbivorous, eating a wide variety of leaves, shoots and fruits from trees and shrubs. They will also eat small insects from time to time. Their favorite food is from the "Vau" tree which bears sweet Hibiscus flowers and is also the species of tree they spend most of their time in. "

Good luck in caring for this rare creature which is getting closer and closer to the 'extinct' list. It's already on the critically endangered list.

If we start allowing these creatures, the illegal trade may continue to increase leaving wild populations even more threatened. Not so good.

Secondly - how could this creature be the 'new cane toad' - 1) it doesn't favour insects, although it may choose to eat them... 2) it has no poisons... 3) it wouldn't survive in the wild very well in the Far North because of the predatory issue (cats, dogs, snakes, people etc etc...).

I don't think the view of allowing exotics into the country will change - but even more so for critically endangered species!


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## Kenshin (May 24, 2010)

and dont forget that fiji's cat problem is a walk in the park compared to australia's and cats are the sole thing thats just about wiped them out on the island


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## Southside Morelia (May 24, 2010)

LMAO "the new cane toad" no that won't happen, nor will the veiled Cham population take over the Aussie bush...devastating native wildlife i it's tracks.......lol


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## antaresia_boy (May 24, 2010)

Me with Melbourne zoo's ones. Amazing lizards, wish they were legal too


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## Fanden (May 24, 2010)

Kenshin said:


> i belive they are illegle because they are a) an exotic and b) internationally illegal because they are CITES listed



>They are not illegal in Europe but in the Us they are illegal as i understand. there is a big breeder of Fiji iguanas in Austria that exports all over Europe


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## Slats (May 24, 2010)

sharpshot232 said:


> Not with that attitude


 
lol


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## Kenshin (May 24, 2010)

adderboy said:


> What is the point of arguing over whether it could be a "new cane toad" and so on. We can't import exotics and that law is not going to change because a few herpers want to own a critically endangered lizard.
> 
> If you're concerned about its future and people really want to help this species, why not find out if there is a program to increase its numbers in its own environment and support that? But let's stop arguing about the pros and cons of importing them - it's not going to happen.


 
duh, anyhow they are a gobsmackingly nice lizard right up there with the emerald tree monitor (theyre native cant we have those lol)

heres a pic of one i took at perth zoo


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## sharpshot232 (May 24, 2010)

Their green is a mad seamless colour and wen the blue stripes across their body omg . I got to the zoos for them as a first priority and jealous of antresia boy holding one


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## PimmsPythons (May 24, 2010)

heres a banded iguana from vanuatu and a couple pacific boas


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## WombleHerp (May 24, 2010)

View attachment 147554
View attachment 147555
me + fijian banded iguana + bad hair day + coldsore lol


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## sharpshot232 (May 24, 2010)

They are really awesome


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## sharpshot232 (May 26, 2010)

View attachment 147696
the one at taronga not a good photo , got heaps of eyelash vipers, and chameleons thou


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## dreamer (May 26, 2010)

love your exotics don't you sharpshot232


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## bluereptile (May 26, 2010)

meehan05 said:


> deleted






lovemypiggy said:


> deleted





if you dont mind me asking, cause i cant veiw the attachment why are people having a go at sharpshot?


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## woosang (May 27, 2010)

I can't either :-(


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## snakeg56 (May 27, 2010)

Isn't it funny how people want what they can't have, I think its about time we concentrated on our own endangered species, but alas the governments around Australia won't let private keepers have and care for a lot of these species, We did not bring in the feral animals to this country we do not clear and devastate the environment, we look after the animals that are in our care, we don't do this for profit we do it cause of the thrill we get in seeing a snake or lizard hatch from an egg, from parents we have raised from hatchings, sure reptiles are sold but usually so we can finance other projects, there is more experience in the private sector than there are in zoos as keepers may add up to hundreds where private keepers are in their thousands. If we have to save these endangered species, than the governments must look closely at the private sector as well as the major zoological institutions. Feral animals must be controlled at any cost and if people could keep more native animals then maybe they won't have a cat.


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## Kenshin (May 27, 2010)

is it school holidays or something? lol a CITES listed animal that nearly extinct the new cane toad, yea those siberian tigers are everywhere in adelade they should really start culling them


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## sharpshot232 (May 27, 2010)

[deleted] captive breeding programs relieve the wild population demands as with the womas remember they were endangered how many are there now???



snakeg56 said:


> Isn't it funny how people want what they can't have, I think its about time we concentrated on our own endangered species, but alas the governments around Australia won't let private keepers have and care for a lot of these species, We did not bring in the feral animals to this country we do not clear and devastate the environment, we look after the animals that are in our care, we don't do this for profit we do it cause of the thrill we get in seeing a snake or lizard hatch from an egg, from parents we have raised from hatchings, sure reptiles are sold but usually so we can finance other projects, there is more experience in the private sector than there are in zoos as keepers may add up to hundreds where private keepers are in their thousands. If we have to save these endangered species, than the governments must look closely at the private sector as well as the major zoological institutions. Feral animals must be controlled at any cost and if people could keep more native animals then maybe they won't have a cat.


 This is why i hunt


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## sharpshot232 (May 27, 2010)

meehan05 i would take a bullet for you on cod5 jks it will ruin my kill streak


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## Kenshin (May 27, 2010)

woma's have not increased in the wild at all if anything they have declined further, they are listed as endangered, just because they are super easy to breed in captivity and they are as availible as antaresia species dosent mean squat

there are more then afew species that are widely bred in international zoo's but are almost nonexistant in the wild


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## adderboy (May 27, 2010)

I've kept out of this thread for a while, just checked in to see where it's gone. A lot of hot air being wasted over something that isn't going to happen. Get a beardie and look at it through green-tinted glasses...


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## Kenshin (May 27, 2010)

adderboy said:


> I've kept out of this thread for a while, just checked in to see where it's gone. A lot of hot air being wasted over something that isn't going to happen. Get a beardie and look at it through green-tinted glasses...


 
lol


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## sharpshot232 (May 27, 2010)

Australian zoo conservation project Had a beardie once always liked em


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## Kenshin (May 27, 2010)

meehan05 said:


> [deleted] you really showed him.. well done.



i just dont think you should make sweeping statements when thats not the case


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## bluereptile (May 27, 2010)

dont worry about them keshin


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## Kenshin (May 27, 2010)

meh im off to go cull those damn siberian tigers theyre taking over the country............


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## bluereptile (May 28, 2010)

sharpshot232 said:


> Haha petty little boy what u got for little lunch



it is spelt *you*

cheers


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## Cheyne_Jones (May 28, 2010)

Kenshin said:


> name a single australian institution which is breeding woma's and releasing them in the wild?
> 
> what is the name of this fantacy world you live in where you know everything and if you dont you will just make it up?


 
I watched a show on ABC the other day where an organisation has been releasing womas into a wildlife reserve in South Australia and tracking them daily... They found one inside a Mulga snake fairly quickly...


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## meehan05 (May 28, 2010)

bluereptile said:


> it is spelt *you*
> 
> cheers



wow we dodged that bullet!


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## Pythoninfinite (May 28, 2010)

It's unlikely that the womas were captives to begin with. They were probably caught, had the tracking devices inserted (a surgical thing) and released where they were found. Common practice, but not with captive bred animals.

J.


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## sharpshot232 (May 28, 2010)

australia zoo breeds and releases.


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## beeman (May 28, 2010)

sharpshot232 said:


> australia zoo breeds and releases.



And how do you know they are doing this?


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## XKiller (May 28, 2010)

that Iguana has a strikeing resemblance to "Jub jub" at Currumbin wildlife, Herpsrule?


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## Pythoninfinite (May 28, 2010)

Australia Zoo breeds and releases what sharpshot? They bred and released Varanus keithhornei ONCE, by arrangement with Qld National Parks, anything else I don't know about?

J.


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## Kenshin (May 28, 2010)

Pythoninfinite said:


> Australia Zoo breeds and releases what sharpshot? They bred and released Varanus keithhornei ONCE, by arrangement with Qld National Parks, anything else I don't know about?
> 
> J.


 
he should write wiki articles...........


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## adderboy (May 28, 2010)

Jamie

What you've said is normally the case, but in this particular case the article claims they were captive-bred, presumably by the zoo. Here's the article:

Snake-eat-snake: endangered pythons wipeout - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Having said that, such stories are extremely rare (and in this case the experiment was largely unsuccessful). There have been very few releases of captive-bred reptiles. Wildlife authorities are unwilling to repopulate areas with animals whose genetical make-up is "polluted" - ie mixed between different populations. So usually what happens is that animals are taken from the area, bred up under controlled conditions, and the young are re-introduced back into the same area once they are able to fend for themselves.
The same can't be said for animals held by most herpers. We often can't be certain of animals' provenance, so there's no way they would accept regular captive-bred animals back into an area as "wild" animals. Even if we put our hands on our hearts and said their lineage is completely from area X, once they become captive-held they are usually considered "lost" to the world of wildlife.
But all of this is off-topic now (somewhat thankfully, I think). The idea of us having and breeding Fijian iguanas is cloud-cuckooland stuff. I'm all for focussing on our own species - helping out as best we can. Goodness knows they need all the help they can get.


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## Colin (May 28, 2010)

some iguana pics from the USA (tom crutchfield pics)


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## Kristy_07 (May 28, 2010)

Love that first pic, Colin.


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## Kenshin (May 28, 2010)

i saw them on your facebook insane colours, the white and the yellow are albino?


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## adderboy (May 28, 2010)

sharpshot232 said:


> deleted


 
Your comments have hit an all-time low. Grow up or get out.

BTW love those pics, Colin. Iguanas are fascinating. We had Shannon Plummer over here in Perth recently talking about her volunteering experience in the Caribbean looking after blue iguanas. Great stuff.

S


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## Colin (Jun 1, 2010)

Kenshin said:


> i saw them on your facebook insane colours, the white and the yellow are albino?



maybe you saw the link to tom C's page kenshin? thats where I saw them myself.


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## BARRAMUNDI (Jun 1, 2010)

Pythoninfinite said:


> Australia Zoo breeds and releases what sharpshot? They bred and released Varanus keithhornei ONCE, by arrangement with Qld National Parks, anything else I don't know about?
> 
> J.


 
They also bred their captive West Qld Womas (which were originally wild caught) and there are rumours they released a number of offspring on their property at St George.

Also in reference to the SA Womas, the ones on the TV show originate from wild caught parents. These adults were collected and bred in captivity in a couple of ARAZPA Zoos, a number of the offspring were distributed throughout other ARAZPA Zoos and a number were released into the wild. However all that were released were predated by either Fox's or Mulgas within a very short time. Not the best release program, however some lessons learnt on this trial have served well for other release programs and has aided in securing better funding for predator proof fencing at release sites.....


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## BARRAMUNDI (Jun 1, 2010)

Also back on topic, 
I was once told by a fellow who contributes to the in-situ conservation of Fijiian Iguanas that one of the major reasons (amongst others) the Fijiian Iguanas are threatened is that some Fijiians believe the Iguanas are desendants of the Devil and it is extremely bad luck to cross paths or be near one. Therefore alot of Iguanas were culled on the Islands by Fijiian Natives many years ago and occasionally now.


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## Retic (Jun 1, 2010)

I was only looking at Tom Crutchfields site this morning, with VERY envious eyes 



Colin said:


> some iguana pics from the USA (tom crutchfield pics)


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## WombleHerp (Jun 4, 2010)

greenrx7 said:


> that Iguana has a strikeing resemblance to "Jub jub" at Currumbin wildlife, Herpsrule?


 
certainly is


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## Colin (Jun 14, 2010)

boa said:


> I was only looking at Tom Crutchfields site this morning, with VERY envious eyes



yes amazing stuff.. more from tom crutchfield

[video=youtube;Td1r7HKwrWo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td1r7HKwrWo"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td1r7HKwrWo[/video]


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## snakateur (Jun 28, 2010)

Wow absolutely amazing, I love these guys so much, might have to move so I can have one lol


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