Ty Park’s Iguanaland

By Casey Cannon

In mid-April 2021 I was driving down a country road in Punta Gorda, Florida. I had been invited to have an early look of what I believe will be a premier destination for all reptile lovers. Set to open late 2021, Ty Park’s ‘Iguana Land’ is a private reptile zoo that will house some of the rarest and most endangered lizards and chelonians in the world. The park will have a focus on Rock Iguana (Genus Cyclura), Spiny Tailed Iguana (Genus Ctenosaura) and will have the most diverse collection of tortoise and turtle species of any zoo in the world. The zoo will also have a collection of non-venomous snakes, rare monitor lizards (Genus Varanus), species and color morphs of Iguana, and Agamid lizards.  

I was fortunate enough to be able to talk to Ty Park for a few hours about his vision and plans for the facility. Mr. Park has been a keeper, breeder and conservationist of Iguanid lizards, especially those in the Cyclura genus, for decades and has been working hard to turn his farm into a place the public can tour. “Number one is to educate the general public” Mr. Park said about the goal of the facility “We are trying to fight the deep seeded hate [the public] has for reptiles”.  “We want to show that the reptiles are an important part of nature, but also to humanity.” 

As we walked along the paths of the new facility, passing by walls covered in hand painted murals and realistic rock formations that were being built I could literally see the vision taking shape. Attached to the outer wall of the giftshop are three large, well planted enclosures with both indoor and outdoor components. I asked Mr. Park about the plan for these enclosures he told me the first would house a pair of Crocodile Monitors (Varanus salvadorii), the second included a large pool for an adult female Green Anaconda (Eunectes murinus), and the third would be for Philippine Water Monitors (Varanus cumingi).

Inside the gift shop we stopped at a large indoor enclosure housing subadult Anegada ground iguana (Cyclura pinguis). This iguana project is one of the crown jewels of ‘Iguana Land’. “We are going to breed them, and we are going to try to repopulate an island in Puerto Rico. They used to historically occur there but they are extinct on that island right now.” Mr. Park told me while we looked at the large highly endangered lizards. “That’s our objective; to produce enough to repopulate an island in Puerto Rico.”  This project is done in partnership with both the Dallas and San Diego Zoos. 

AZA facilities partnering with a private facility is rare, I think is a testament to Ty Park’s reputation and level of care. Across the hallway is an enclosure housing one of the two Perentie Monitor (Varanus giganteus) that will be on display at the park. Outside of their native Australia, Perenties are one of the most rarely seen monitors in captivity. Iguana land will be one of only a small handful of places this species can be seen in the United States. 

Ty discussed his charitable plans for Iguana Land. “My goal is to annually raise $250,000 for conservation and reptile related charities’ ‘ Ty said about his fundraising goals for the facility. He mentioned his ‘Iguanafest’ charity event he puts on annually has already been able to generate at least 250,000 a year for iguana conservation. “I want to have a place where students can come to do research, ” Mr. Park said while we were walking through a section that will be for off-display breeding projects. “I had one PhD student come and do a PhD study here. I also had a veterinary student come here and stay a month to learn about exotics”.

I was very impressed by the custom-made outdoor pens that contained shallow ponds and waterfall features. These pens were built for rescued North American Box Turtles (genus Terrapene) that were donated by wildlife rescues from all over the United States. Iguana Land could possibly open as early as this summer but it is expected to open by the end of the year. It will hold the most diverse collection of Cyclura Iguanas and Chelonians. It will also house some rarely seen species such as Galapagos Tortises (Chelonoidis niger complex), Perentie Monitor (Varanus giganteus) and the recently described Saban black iguana (Iguana melanoderma). Ty’s vision is to make a family friendly reptile zoo. “I see this place as my legacy.” Mr. Park said while overlooking the koi pond that will, one day, have seating and picnic areas for guests. “This is my life’s project. My dream is that in 100 years there will be a picture of me that reads ‘Founder’ and the park will be running for generations.”