Wildlife on the Corn Islands
I am planning a trip for the winter months, and have some questions about the wildlife on the island. Being a small island, does it sustain populations of primates/monkeys? How about iguanas and the like? My guess is that they are too small to sustain much wildlife.
Trying to decide if I should even bother with the mainland treks/forests. If these animals are on the Corns I won't worry with the mainland.
Thank you for your time.
Little Corn Island has bats, if you're interested in those.
What, no iguanas?
Marlies can tell you for sure. I saw bats, fireflies, many ordinary birds, but I can't vouch for what I didn't see.
Many
many, many iguanas, also boas, butterflies, but not too many birds.
Life's different here ... It's a whole 'nother pace.
speaking of unseen . .
does anyone recall ever hearing of sightings of jaguar on the mainland?
Originally Posted by John
Mr Valentine's dead but it won't slow him down... he's determined to stay on his feet... and he bangs on the table and orders a round... and he pays with the gold in his teeth
Re: speaking of unseen . .
Of course there are, at least up here there are, farmers and cattlemen kill them all the time protecting what is theirs, You can buy the skins in the market year round...BUT, I dont think you can legaly take them back to the States.does anyone recall ever hearing of sightings of jaguar on the mainland?
To be called a "Has Been" I must surmise, is much Greater than to be called a "Nevah Been"... JW...
Hahaha, you can't see much when you fall on your face....You left yourself open to that.....
To be called a "Has Been" I must surmise, is much Greater than to be called a "Nevah Been"... JW...
Re: speaking of unseen . .
So they're mainly in the RAAN y RAAS then you think?
Of course there are, at least up here there are, farmers and cattlemen kill them all the time protecting what is theirs, You can buy the skins in the market year round...BUT, I dont think you can legaly take them back to the States.does anyone recall ever hearing of sightings of jaguar on the mainland?
Mr Valentine's dead but it won't slow him down... he's determined to stay on his feet... and he bangs on the table and orders a round... and he pays with the gold in his teeth
You're right. Darn that FDC.
That's a damn shame about the Jaguars.
I would do my safari on the mainland. There is little to see with regard to fauna. No primates, most birds have been wiped out as a result of the fine slingshot marksmanship of the kids. Now you only see blackbirds. There are few species of lizzards including iguana (not the bright green type you see in FL) which are also eaten. The swamps have some small fresh water turtles which are often netted and eaten. Corn Island has its own subspecies of boa constrictor - an true asset to the island - but when one is seen, it is usually killed. Get the point???
I will have to take some ownership because my big gringo cat, feared and referred to by the neighbors as "El Tigre," single handedly wiped out all of the lizzards and put a dent in the blackbird population in the large yard and garden where we live. He did make up for it with rat kills though:
That which does not kill me postpones the inevitable
But... If you go on a snorkeling or dive trip, you will see amazing marine life!!! That is what you should come to see in The Corn Islands!!
www.bigcornisland.com
That which does not kill me postpones the inevitable
The only cat skins I saw for sale both in Port,
where the picture was taken and the market in
Masaya. They called them Ocelota.
Buying Jaguar Skins
You're right about it not being too cool to purchase a jaguar skin. Actually you can purchase them but as soon as you deplane in the US you're in violation of the Endangered Species Act which, until the Bushies took office, carried substantial fines of up to 10,000 per count. The same goes for turtle shells, turtle oil, and anything else that comes from sea turtles. About 20 years ago I had the sincere pleasure of encountering four New Yorkers on an island in the West Indies who were bound and determined to bring back two green sea turtle shells even after I informed them of the ESA and their violation of it. Several quick calls from Antigua (the island) got me in touch with agents at JFK who were waiting for her (along with Customs) when the American Airlines jet opened its hatch. This woman walked off the plane carrying the bag with the shells, the badges came out and she was cited. She later paid a hefty fine. Trade in wildlife and wildlife parts is unfortunately a multi-billion dollar "industry" in the US. Best option is to leave everything wild in the wild and if you see it hanging on a wall leave it there.
The one thing I am curious about is the Turtle shells, I found a VERY DEAD sea Turtle on a desolate beach one time, after I removed the guts from the shell and let the vultures finish off the leftovers within, I washed it out and took it back to Managua. Someone told me to use lime and a few other ingredients along with a lot of sun to remove the smell and prevent maggots from attacking the shell. The maggots ended up really destroying the shell and it wasn't worth salvaging.
I never had any intention of taking the shell back to the US, was just going to keep for my Nica house. The Turtle was already dead, isn't there some type of rule that allows you to keep the shell in a situation like this? or are you supposed to just let the shell go to waste? maybe even use this type of shell for a museum of some sort?
Under the CITES agreements, these particular
cats can be exported as long as prior written
permission is obtained from Governments at
both ends. These cats are not endangered, but
are being protected from over exploitation.
Since trade in some wild animal parts is already
banned in Canada, permission would probably not
be given.
Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich countries
to rich people in poor countries.
Taking the shell would be cruel to the maggots.
The middle cat in the picture looked like an ocelot, but the others could be jaguars. Different size and markings.
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