Feeding the Animals

From here we stop at Bitter Guana Cay. “Guana” is short for iguana and moments after arriving we notice odd triangular shapes on the beach. A glance through the binoculars confirms that these are indeed iguanas. We decide it would be fun to feed them and take some lettuce and celery greens to shore. As soon as the iguanas hear the dingy they begin to emerge from the shrubs and eagerly approach the beach. Somewhere between 15-20 begin jocking for position. The larger iguanas chastise the smaller ones in case there is any misunderstanding as to whom eats first. Zoe and JT are understandably alarmed by their aggressive displays and it takes some coaxing before they finally extend the leaves to the iguanas. Lettuce is a hit, but celery greens are left to the smaller iguanas. Later, we learn that this species lives only in the Bahamas and is nearly extinct. They are distinguishable by their distinctly red-tinged legs, chests and eyes (which seem a bit sinister). This is all according to the sign, which is posted 20 yards from the beach. The sign also inform us not to feed them, oops! but at this point the deed is done. They must be making a comeback (or been reintroduced) to this island, because our guidebook (which is 10 years old) mentions that the island was named for the iguana that used to live here. Animals verging on extinction are a common story in these parts, so it’s heartening to see any signs of recovery.

From Bitter Guana we are in sight of Staniel Cay, home to the famous Thunderball Cave, a site used during the filming of both the eponymous James Bond film and Splash.  We arrive in the morning and are surprised by the changes. Since we were here 7 years ago, development has exploded. Not only has the marina doubled in size, but new resorts and houses stud the rocky shoreline and smaller cays.  There are probably 20 to 30  boats in the surrounding anchorages. Staniel Cay has morphed from a quaint tourist stop to a must stop point where some cruisers spend months. 

Oddly, a highlight of this area is feeding the pigs. A small herd of very large pigs lives on the island and the boaters dingy over to share their expensive fruits and vegetables with them. They are generally well-mannered (the pigs, not necessarily the boaters!) and some are known to swim out to your dingy to “beg”. I find this highly entertaining. Some enterprising locals are probably quite amused that the cruisers are fattening the pigs that will one day grace their table.  It’s certainly a mark of how far removed we’ve become from our farm roots, that feeding pigs has become a tourist attraction!