Iguanas have high blood sugar from tourists feeding them grapes – the Bahamas reptiles have developed a sweet tooth
- The vulnerable lizards, whose wild population is small, rush to the beaches of remote islands in the Bahamas when they hear boats, expecting to be fed grapes
- As well as making the lizards less wary of humans, the practice has raised their blood sugar levels, possibly causing health problems
Tourists feeding grapes to rock iguanas on remote islands in the Bahamas have given them a sweet tooth and high blood sugar, according to researchers, who warn of unknown effects on the health of the vulnerable reptiles.
Northern Bahamian rock iguanas living on the Exuma Islands are so hooked on the tasty tourist treats that they rush to the beaches when they hear boats approaching.
“For a tour operator it was a wonderful way to ensure that you would be able to see these animals and people would have these close and personal interactions,” says Charles Knapp, of the John G Shedd Aquarium in the US.
Conservationists had already started to become concerned that the non-native fruit, delivered to the iguanas on the end of skewers, was making the large lizards less wary of humans and potentially vulnerable to smugglers for the pet trade.
But those closely involved with the creatures began to suspect the diets were causing even more of an upset. The clue was in their poo.