there, the dog had injured the animal but that was the iguana that was taken to the Hope Zoo. A remnant population was discovered soon after. The Hellshire Hills area is the only area of Jamaica where this iguana is found. It is relegated to two dense populations that consist of scattered individuals. They were once prevalent in the island but are now only found in the dry, rocky, limestone forest areas of St. Catherine. Before it was rediscovered in 1990, the iguana was last seen alive on Goat Island off the coast of Jamaica in 1940. Diet Like all Cyclura species the Jamaican iguana is primarily herbivorous, consuming leaves, flowers and fruits from over 100 different plant species. This diet is very rarely supplemented with insects and invertebrates such as snails. However, these could simply be eaten incidentally while it consumes the leaves the invertebrates live on. Conservation Endangered status The Jamaican iguana was believed to be extinct dating to 1948. After its rediscovery in 1990, a study showed only that there were only 50 survivors of the "rarest lizard in the world". The IUCN lists it as a Critically Endangered Species. Causes of decline The single direct cause for the Jamaican iguana's decline can be attributed to the introduction of the small Asian mongoose (Urva auropunctata) as a form of snake-control. The mongoose came to rely upon hatchling iguanas as a prime source of food, prompting the creation of the Headstart facility and a proposed program to eradicate the feral mongoose. The biggest current threat to the animals' existence is no longer from the spread of the mongoose, but from the charcoal industry. Charcoal burners rely on hardwood trees from the Hellshire Hills to make charcoal. As this is the primary refuge for the iguanas, the burners have been threatening the research teams who protect the iguanas. Recovery efforts A consortium of twelve zoos, also from within the USA donated and constructed a Headstart Facility at Hope Zoo, used for the rearing of eggs and hatchlings brought from the wild. From within the safety of this environment, they are reared until they are large enough to survive in the wild and predators such as the mongoose are no longer a threat, a process known as "headstarting". The Headstart facility also carries out health screening prior to the release of specimens. This health screening has been used to baseline