Marine iguanas seized in Quito returned to Galápagos

Twenty-four marine iguanas have been returned to the Galápagos Islands via air transport following a seizure at Quito's Mariscal Sucre International Airport. The reptiles were discovered inside eight containers within the luggage of a Russian citizen attempting to travel to Iceland.

Of the original 32 iguanas found, eight died due to their poor health conditions at the time of discovery. The 24 survivors have been placed in a specially conditioned temporary quarantine area in the Galápagos. They will undergo continuous sanitary, epidemiological, and genetic monitoring.

The Ecuadorian Ministry of Environment and Energy (MAE) stated that the animals will not be released immediately. Reintroduction into the wild will only occur after individual assessments meet specific technical, sanitary, and origin-determination criteria to ensure ecosystem biosecurity. The operation was supported by the Galápagos National Park Directorate and scientific assistance from the Universidad San Francisco de Quito and the Universidad de Las Américas.