Guayaquil is an old city, founded in 1538 and because it is a major shipping port and the center of industry for the small country of Ecuador it is also the largest city in the country with a population of 3.3 million people. That's why it is so wierd to find a park in the middle of this megacity that is full of iguanas, you heard me right IGUANAS! This is not a zoo, just a regular city park with a wrought iron fence around it to keep out vagrants but otherwise open to the public and there is lots of foot traffic that just casually steps over the iguanas that litter the ground and the trees of this park.
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The iguanas have been here a long time and there is a city ordinance that prevents people from catching them, a couple of bored police officers keep an eye out for any iguana thieves but it must be a pretty cushy duty because most of these guys are at least 3 to 4 feet long and weigh as much as your average dog. People feed the iguanas so the iguanas stay in the park which is a good thing because this is in the middle of the downtown of a very busy city, lots of traffic on all four sides of the park and I get the impression that if an iguana wanted to leave the park it would quickly become an iguana pancake.
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In the middle of the park is what we have come to call in our travels around south america 'the guy on the horse' - all major cities have a bronze statue with a guy on a horse, smaller cities have a bronze statue of a guy but no horse, I'm thinking bronze costs a lot of money and it takes more bronze to make a guy and a horse than just a guy. This particular park has Simon Bolivar astride a horse, he liberated most of south america almost single handedly so I think it is only fair that he gets a horse under him. Such is the lot of fortune and fame however, his statue keeps the company of pigeons and iguanas.
[attachment 191086 IMG_4148.JPG]
Now iguanas are a pretty chilled out animal, basically happy to suck up the heat of the sun on a rock and eat whatever happens bye. The iguanas in Iguana Park have gotten used to receiving handouts of food from the people and besides there is not enough land in the small city park to support that many iguanas; everything is fine so long as people feed the iguanas the regular vegetable pellets BUT bring in some white bread like this family did and you have a food riot on your hands.
[attachment 191087 IMG_4180.JPG]
These critters can get downright nasty when there is white bread up for grabs. Notice that the father has had to pick his son up to get him out of harms way as the iguanas thrash around trying to snap up the bread.
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With all the white bread gone, things returned to normal. This one big old lizard decided that this woman might also have some white bread, she was busy checking something and didn't notice him until he was practically in her lap. Man did she let out a scream.
[attachment 191089 IMG_4175.JPG]
I hope you enjoyed visiting Iguana Park with us,
BDA
[attachment 191082 IMG_4181.JPG]
The iguanas have been here a long time and there is a city ordinance that prevents people from catching them, a couple of bored police officers keep an eye out for any iguana thieves but it must be a pretty cushy duty because most of these guys are at least 3 to 4 feet long and weigh as much as your average dog. People feed the iguanas so the iguanas stay in the park which is a good thing because this is in the middle of the downtown of a very busy city, lots of traffic on all four sides of the park and I get the impression that if an iguana wanted to leave the park it would quickly become an iguana pancake.
[attachment 191085 IMG_4164.JPG]
In the middle of the park is what we have come to call in our travels around south america 'the guy on the horse' - all major cities have a bronze statue with a guy on a horse, smaller cities have a bronze statue of a guy but no horse, I'm thinking bronze costs a lot of money and it takes more bronze to make a guy and a horse than just a guy. This particular park has Simon Bolivar astride a horse, he liberated most of south america almost single handedly so I think it is only fair that he gets a horse under him. Such is the lot of fortune and fame however, his statue keeps the company of pigeons and iguanas.
[attachment 191086 IMG_4148.JPG]
Now iguanas are a pretty chilled out animal, basically happy to suck up the heat of the sun on a rock and eat whatever happens bye. The iguanas in Iguana Park have gotten used to receiving handouts of food from the people and besides there is not enough land in the small city park to support that many iguanas; everything is fine so long as people feed the iguanas the regular vegetable pellets BUT bring in some white bread like this family did and you have a food riot on your hands.
[attachment 191087 IMG_4180.JPG]
These critters can get downright nasty when there is white bread up for grabs. Notice that the father has had to pick his son up to get him out of harms way as the iguanas thrash around trying to snap up the bread.
[attachment 191088 IMG_4158.JPG]
With all the white bread gone, things returned to normal. This one big old lizard decided that this woman might also have some white bread, she was busy checking something and didn't notice him until he was practically in her lap. Man did she let out a scream.
[attachment 191089 IMG_4175.JPG]
I hope you enjoyed visiting Iguana Park with us,
BDA
