Marine Iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) Enclosure

Very nice display! I can't say that I expected the glass fronted underwater viewing? When was this enclosure built? I also like the addition of the volcanic rock.

@UngulateNerd92 I believe it was built in 2017
Though I don't entirely support these iguanas being here it is nice to see some rare species in a very underappreciated continent when it comes to zoos!
When I find my self in Uganda I will surely be visiting this facility!

@Nix So you are cool with supporting animal smugglers?

@lintworm I think those animals were imported from europe officially

@shoebill1 They probably came from Switzerland from the private collection of the owner of this "conservation centre", Thomas Price, who is a convicted animal smuggler. These iguanas (or their parents) were smuggled out of Ecuador illegally and have been given fake CITES permits showing them of as captive-bred. He probably ended up in Uganda because of the non-existing regulation there, inspired by his co-smuggler Manfred Bachmann who had been living in Uganda for years.

This place has nothing to do with conservation and is not much more than a serious green washing attempt of a private animal keeper and is not a place anyone on zoochat should visit/promote.

See this link for more information:
https://en.bitacoraec.com/post/where-are-the-pink-iguanas-of-galapagos

@lintworm I dont know much about the above details.. but non existing regulation in Uganda ? That almost sounds racist.. why do you assume so, just because we are Africans? Have you ever been to Uganda to make such a judgement? We have very strong regulations concerning wildlife here in Uganda.. Kindly don't write in such a negative degrading tone about my country, thats in fact very rude and stems from a colonial prejudice. Uganda is at the forefront of conservation with an abundance of national parks and conservation incentives and has very strict regulations concerning wildlife, stricter than most countries even in the western world.
Also if above facts were true then why would you not blame Switzerland or whichever European country you claim issued those "fake papers".. why trash Uganda? Its really sad what kind of a prejudice some people have towards Africa... sad in fact.

@shoebill1 Sorry, I should have written law enforcement instead of regulation. Please do not take this personal, although I have never been to Uganda myself. I have years of experience working in Eastern Africa (Kenya, Tanzania & Ethiopia), so I am no stranger to seeing African conservation successes (and some failures too). I know strict legislation exists in many African countries, but enforcement is weak and corruption is a problem, that is unfortunately true and has nothing to do with skin colour or colonial attitudes. These people got away with the same scheme in Switzerland, but have relocacted their animals to Uganda and that won't have been because of the nice weather and amazing landscapes.

@lintworm thats ok, apology accepted. Many people still harbour that superior feeling towards Africa so sometimes one also easily jumps to conclusions. Thanks for clarifying that.
Lastly, I do want to say that the above project is actually doing some good work in Uganda like the reintroduction of the extinct African Painted Dog with a breeding program for their reintroduction into suitable national parks in collaboration with other wildlife organisations, rescue of a remnant golden cat population from a forest that was cut down which would have destroyed that population, which now is part of an active breeding project for them. They also are planing and working to reintroduce the extinct black rhino in a similar breeding collaboration etc.
So despite the persons likely dodgy past they currently are doing allot of good here and it might not be fair to witch hunt someone for their past when they made a turn for the better.
My impression of the facility reflected allot of passion and dedication and I think that can also be seen in the pictures of the enclosures and the health of the animals.
So much for today, im planning to visit another facility later this afternoon so im on the jump. Thanks again for clarifying.

@shoebill1 Apology accepted

The problem is that they have not left their past behind, they are still actively distributing these animals to Europe, Asia and other African countries, so they very much still operate like a smuggling ring, housing/breeding illegal animals. If they would really have left their past behind, they would get rid of those animals, but given the money one can make from selling these iguanas on, it is probably too important a business model, bringing in all the cash needed for their other work....

Btw. the cites papers were issued by Mali before the animals arrived in Switzerland. That should have sent some alarm bells ringing in Switzerland too and they are to blame too, but apparently Swiss authorities did not do anything at the time....

@lintworm
Many regulations do exist for exotic species, especially in South Africa, but as you mentioned the laws do not prevent smuggling from happening, As bribery and legal loopholes provide routes for smugglers, for example the export of 21 live rhinos to a Vietnamese "zoo" (most likely for the horn trade).
Tigers, jaguars, even Purple-faced langurs have popped up in the South African Wildlife trade the last couple of decades, but as political instability continues to soar, hopes to stop these illegal dealings are few and far between.

On another topic, There were reports of African golden cats being imported to South Africa a couple years back, would any of you know more about this? Could they have come from CTC?