The Iguana Sanctuary

The Iguana Sanctuary

The Iguana Sanctuary, or in Spanish El Santuario de las Iguanas, is located about 20 minutes southeast of Puerto Escondido close to Highway 200 marker 178. Its next to the place with giant water slides before you get to the turnoff to Mazunte. The entrance fee is 20 pesos for adults and 10 pesos for children (Feb. 2015). The fee is used to feed the baby iguanas. The tour will take about 20 minutes. The above image is the entrance sign to the Iguana Sanctuary.

The Iguana Sanctuary is a privately run and receives no government assistance. Its main purpose is to breed and release the Green Iguana which has become an endangered species. On one side of the sanctuary lies a river and on another side is a mango plantation. There is plenty of room for breeding green iguanas.

in January and February, pregnant iguanas are captured and put into a cement enclosure (below, left), on the sides of the enclosure are pipes for the iguanas to go down to lay their eggs in the sandy soil. A female will lay 10 to 60 eggs. Once the eggs are laid, the female is released. And then the eggs are moved to a different station (below, right). The incubation period is around 3 months.

Once the hatchlings emerge, they are moved into cages. Iguanas are herbivorous and the young iguanas will starting eating an after hour after hatching. They are fed lettuce and other veggies.

Green Iguanas can grow to almost 1.7 m (5.6 ft) and weigh 4.4 kg (8.8 lb). Some mature iguanas devolop an orangish color as they mature.