The National Trust for the Cayman Islands is hosting renowned wildlife biologist and conservationist Ian Redmond for a series of events and talks in the Cayman Islands next week.
Redmond, who is Head of Conservation for Ecoflix, is best known for his work with mountain gorillas, studying with Dian Fossey in Rwanda and introducing David Attenborough to the gorillas in the 1970s. When the award-winning film ‘Gorillas in the Mist’ was made, it was Redmond who taught actress Sigourney Weaver how to grunt like a gorilla. Since then, he has advised or appeared in more than 100 nature documentary films for the BBC, National Geographic, Discovery and other channels.
During his visit to the Cayman Islands, Redmond will tour schools in each district of Grand Cayman to talk about conservation, and the importance of protecting our biodiversity.
Redmond will join the National Trust at their Blue Iguana Family Fun Day taking place on Sunday 5 May from 10am to 4pm at the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park, sponsored by The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, and Ambassadors of the Environment. Redmond will give a talk and tour the Blue Iguana Conservation facility where there are more than 200 blue iguanas of varying ages and sizes.
Blue iguanas are Cayman’s largest native land animal and once numbered in their tens of thousands. By 2001, the blues were nearing extinction with fewer than 30 left in the wild. The Blue Iguana Conservation programme was launched in 1990 by Fred Burton as a captive breeding programme and has released more than 1,200 blue iguanas back into the wild, downgrading the species from IUCN’s critically endangered list to the red list.
On International Blue Iguana Day on 8 May, Redmond will attend a screening of local documentary ‘Saving the Blues’ at Andiamo, at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman and join the panel for a Q&A session afterwards. This is a free event, open to the public, and starts at 6:30pm. This event is kindly sponsored by The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman and Ambassadors of the Environment.
The National Trust for the Cayman Islands has graciously been supported by our generous benefactors who are members of the National Trust and have made Ian Redmond’s visit possible and provided accommodation for his stay.
National Trust Chairman of the Board Melanie Carmichael said, “There are few names in conservation as well-known and respected as Ian Redmond. We hope his visit is educational and also inspires others to support the work of the National Trust in conserving Cayman’s flora and fauna for future generations.”
To learn more about Cayman’s endemic blue iguanas, visit the Blue Iguana Conservation facility, open daily 10am to 4pm. Admission is included in the purchase of tickets for the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park. Guided tours with a BIC warden can be booked by emailing tours@nationaltrust.ky .
The Blue Iguana Family Fun Day takes place on Sunday 5 May from 10am to 4pm. Tickets cost $10 for adults and $5 for children.
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