The historic repatriation of a giant lizard in a jar from Scotland to Jamaica is more than a symbolic gesture

‘This repatriation [represents] the return of a valuable piece of Jamaican heritage’

Originally published on Global Voices

A specimen of the Celestus occiduus housed at the Natural History Museum, London. Photo by Simon J. Tonge via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 DEED. This is the same lizard species that is being repatriated to Jamaica, though not the specific specimen.

Culturally, many Jamaicans have a horror of lizards, shuddering at the mere thought of one. As such, many did...