It has been found that grapes thrown by eco-tourists to see the endangered iguana up close are taming the iguana to a sweet taste, leading to an unexpected result that raises blood sugar levels.
This is in line with the results of previous studies that showed that blue sea turtles had high levels of fat and cholesterol in the blood of blue sea turtles fed by tourists who visited the Canary Islands. It was pointed out as a reminder of the danger that there is.
A research team led by Dr. Susanna French, professor of biology at Utah State University in the U.S., analyzed the results of blood sugar analysis of the Northern Bahamian rock iguanas, a critically endangered species inhabiting the Exuma Islands in the Bahamas, in the Journal of Experimental Biology. published in the Journal of Experimental Biology.
According to The Company of Biologists and foreign media, a non-profit publication of biology in the UK, rock iguanas on Exuma Island have already started flocking to the sound of the engines of boats carrying tourists.
The research team started the study after getting a clue from the fact that rock iguanas have loose stools instead of feces in the form of dried leaves like Cuban cigars.
First, we analyzed the effect of a high-sugar diet on blood sugar in 'green iguana', which is not an endangered species in the laboratory.
Green iguanas were given 5g and 2.5g of glucose drink per kg, respectively, for 17 days, in addition to regular food, and then unified at 3.75g and blood sugar was measured over two days.
A low-glucose drink of 2.5 g per kg was presented with the same level of glucose as eating grapes given by tourists.
The blood sugar level of the green iguana peaked 3 hours after ingesting sugar, and the high-glucose drink group reached 520 mg per 100 ml, but the group consumed only regular food without the glucose drink only 420 mg.
It was interpreted that the high-sugar diet had an effect on the ability to control blood sugar levels.
After that, the research team visited the four islands of Exuma and caught 48 rock iguanas, 24 each in places frequented by tourists and not frequented by tourists, fed them with glucose drinks and measured their blood sugar levels.
As a result, the blood sugar level of the rock iguana in the place frequented by eco-tourists peaked at 570 mg after 5 hours and remained high for up to 8 hours.
In contrast, it was found that rock iguanas in places not visited by tourists slowly rose to a much lower level of 450 mg and then quickly returned to normal.
Based on these results, the research team concluded that feeding wild iguanas by tourists visiting the Exuma Islands had a clear effect on the iguana's body, but did not answer whether it actually harms the iguana's health.
Professor French said, "In humans or mice, this level is called diabetes, but how it affects the health of the iguana is still unclear, and further research is needed."
"Feeding is a great way for tourists to keep their iguanas close to them," said Charles Knapp, rock iguana expert at the John G. Shedd Aquarium, co-author of the paper. “Having the opportunity to develop can lead to a passion for protecting ecosystems, but we need to move towards a future where animals and the human lives that depend on them are safe.”
(Photo = Video capture provided by The Company of Biologists, Yonhap News)