11 sign contracts for 2017’s green iguana cull

The Department of Environment hopes a healthy turnout of contractors for the 2017 cull will help keep the exploding green iguana population in check.

The DOE said there were around 800,000 of the invasive pests on Grand Cayman at last check, and fears that number could eclipse a million if nothing is done.

Wednesday morning, registration opened for contracted cullers, who will be paid $2 per head for each iguana they can catch and kill. Some cullers told Cayman 27 that number is too small, especially as the DOE paid $5 per head for last year’s cull.

“It’s not for the money is really why I’m getting into it, but if you are going to go out hunting them, then you’re going to need to be reimbursed one way or the other, and two dollars is a bit small I think,” said Winston Watson, who is interested in signing up, but did not sign a contract as yet.

As of Wednesday at 5pm, almost a dozen contractors have signed up.

The DOE has budgeted $425,000 dollars for this year’s cull. $320,000 of that is earmarked for contract payments. The cull starts 1st May and runs through the end of August, or until funding is exhausted.