Likuliku Lagoon Resort and Malolo Island Resort welcome new editions to their rare family
Ahura Resorts is delighted to announce the arrival of their first Fijian Crested Iguana babies bred in captivity. There has been great excitement as one of the captive bred females, Elevuka, laid four eggs back in January. The first egg hatched the last week of July, the next hatched 3 days after. Unfortunately two were lost but the two thriving survivors are enjoying life in a separate nursery enclosure away from the adults. They are fed with grated carrots, apples, pawpaw and lettuce every second day, the other days, they are being fed with hibiscus leaves and flowers. Ahura’s Likuliku Lagoon Resort and Malolo Island Resort are closed to each other on Malolo Island. They are part of the awardwinning Rosie Holidays group.
Guests are able to see these cute new family members when they visit the Iguana Sanctuary at Likuliku Lagoon Resort.
‘Since they are too tiny for some of their physical features to develop, we haven’t named, tagged or identified the sex yet. It will be a few more months before we are able to do all that” said proud stepdad Sia Rasalato, Group Environment Manager for Ahura Resorts (Likuliku’s owning/management company). “There is even more good news as it has been raining iguanas out in the wild too which indicates that our invasive species management program is working. Recently, we discovered three - 2 males and 1 female in the wild that hadn’t been tagged or captured before, and the following day, one just dropped out of a tree in front of a staff member. All four have been had its measurements taken, weighed, tagged and released back into their natural habitat”, adds Sia enthusiastically.
“As a resort company operating in a pristine and sensitive wilderness environment such as ours - with ocean and coral reefs on one side and land flora and fauna on the other, we fully recognize the importance of sustainable tourism and believe that development in such areas carries both a legal and moral responsibility to ensure our environment is not degraded though irresponsible activities and practices”, says Steve Anstey, Ahura Resorts, Group General Manager. “Our aim is to not only minimize our footprint and impact on the extraordinary nature that surrounds us but also, through a range of activities, programs and initiatives, improve and enhance the environment for imperilled species for future generations. The significant work we have done to date with the iguanas can now be celebrated via this recent breeding success” continues Steve.
Like most animals on the brink of extinction, the demise of the Fiji Iguana has been largely due to the destruction of their natural forest habitat through human activities and the introduction of non-native animals including rats, cats, mongoose and goats which either eat the iguanas or eat their food. Ahura Resorts is part of the award-winning Rosie Holidays group.