Investigating Theft Of Iguanas
Tribune242:
AS Deputy Prime Minister “Brave” Davis said in a press statement yesterday, it is important that the mysterious appearance of 13 Bahamian iguanas — one dead— discovered in luggage at Heathrow Airport, London, should be thoroughly investigated.
Can
anyone imagine two Romanian women landing on Columbus’ island of San
Salvador, scooping up 13 frightened iguanas, stuffing them in socks,
then into a suitcase and getting as far as London on their way to
deliver them to an unknown accomplice in Dusseldorf, Germany, without
some kind of local assistance? No, we can’t, nor can Mr Davis.
“This
story is troubling in many ways,” said Mr Davis. “These animals are an
endangered species, living in isolation from regular human contact. They
run away from intruders. To secure 13 animals and to remove them from
San Salvador in secrecy would seem to be a daunting task.”
Quite
rightly, Mr Davis was concerned that these foreign ladies “probably had
assistance from someone or others resident on San Salvador as well as
in Nassau before boarding the flight to London”.
It is obvious that there is a local racket going on — if it’s not drugs, it’s our endangered species.
The
question is what else and how many more of our rare species are being
smuggled out? Were these the first iguanas to leave our shores, or were
there others that unfortunately missed detection?
We
are certain that all concerned Bahamians, in the words of Mr Davis, are
“anxious that this criminal act is fully investigated and that all
parties involved in this despicable attack on our natural heritage are
dealt with by the law in all relevant jurisdictions. We must all play
our part in protecting our natural heritage.”
Not
only should any Bahamian who aided and abetted in this despicable act,
all along the transit chain, be held accountable, but so should the two
Romanian couriers, and whoever was to receive them at their final
destination.
“I
have been in contact with our security organisations and other agencies
of the Government, to ensure that The Bahamas is intimately involved in
finding a resolution to this theft and, hopefully, to arrange the safe
return of the still living iguanas to their habitat in San Salvador,”
said Mr Davis.
He
called on “citizens everywhere to be mindful that there will always be
those who try to use our islands for trafficking of drugs, people and
our natural treasures to other jurisdictions. We must all be vigilant
and play our individual parts to the fullest to protect our Bahamas from
criminals of all sorts.”
“With
only a few of these creatures native to the Bahamas in existence, the
San Salvador rock iguana is considered extremely rare and is near
extinction. All rock iguanas in the Bahamas are protected by the Wild
Animals Protection Act,” The Tribune reported in “The Big T” over the
weekend.
With
all the publicity that this ugly escapade has attracted in Europe these
are certainly 13 of the world’s best known iguanas. They will probably
be delighted to return to the warmth of their own sandy shores.
However,
Bahamians should take the protection of their heritage seriously. We
recall that as a child — many, many moons ago — the delight we took in
gathering the most beautiful shells from our beaches.
These
precious pieces were in such abundant supply that no one ever thought
that they could disappear — we believed that shells were washed ashore
with every incoming tide. And then, over time they were no longer there.
The only time that we see anything resembling these shells is in
special shops in other lands.
Every
summer we watched as American tourists walked our beaches, collecting
the shells. We remember one gentleman in particular.
Every
summer barefooted with rolled up trousers on Montagu Beach, he
collected the shells for sale in the US. We watched him grow old on this
beach and eventually take Bible in hand and establish a small church
here.
He
was not the only one. The desecration was happening before our very
eyes, but no one realised what it meant for future generations until it
was too late.
The
only one who seemed to notice enough to take it seriously and warn
Bahamians through these columns that they should protect their
possessions was the second editor of The Tribune. He predicted that soon
there would be a generation of Bahamians who would never understand the
treasures they had lost — thanks to an earlier generation that did not
protect what nature had bestowed upon them.
The
busy pen was that of the late Sir Etienne Dupuch —nicknamed by many as
the “Voice of Doom” – who daily through these columns told Bahamians
truths that they did not want to hear. It is now up to this generation
to become aware and protect what is left of our heritage for future
generations.
February 12, 2014
