Staff at Duchy College Rosewarne are mourning the loss of one of their most recognisable animals; Jethro the Iguana.

Jethro, almost 15 years old, had lived at Rosewarne for two thirds of his life after arriving from a rehoming centre, but he started to develop complications because of old age.

Animal technician at Rosewarne, Laura Fallow, said: “Jethro came to us from a rescue centre and we didn’t have an idea of his life up until that point, but he was a brilliant iguana; totally relaxed and never aggressive.

"Over this last year we started to notice a number of health issues, we treated them and he bounced back, but unfortunately a few weeks ago he took a turn for the worse and sadly didn’t recover, so we took the heart breaking decision to put him to sleep. We later discovered that he had a number of other complications.”

Students working with Jethro were able to handle him, feed him and learn how to look after such a large lizard. Laura continues: “He was about 15 years old, which is a good age for a captive iguana. He had a brilliant life whilst he was here; he has gone through a lot with us, including a move into this new building and his new enclosure.”

The search is now on to find another iguana to fill the void created by Jethro’s death, but as Laura explains they are not rushing into anything.

 “We are actively searching for another iguana, but first of all we need to do a deep clean of the enclosure. Jethro was a one-off, he was a great animal for the students to work with, so hopefully we can fill that gap.”

Dr Phil Le Grice, the Director of Rural Economy at Duchy College, said: “Jethro was an amazing asset to us at the College; he was ever-present and brilliant to work with. Hundreds of students that have studied with us will be able to remember his ever watchful eye from the vantage point of his enclosure, right at the main entrance to the building.”