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Surprise Tuatara Discovery Happened During Breeding Halt
Five baby tuatara discovered at an Invercargill demolition site last week hatched amid a request from DoC and iwi to pause breeding.
The discovery has been described as a "fantastic" surprise as it was believed this type of tuatara was not capable of breeding.
On May 29, a contractor working on the demolition of Invercargill’s old museum spotted a baby tuatara in an area formerly used for the animals.
The council originally said a total of four were found, but have since confirmed a fifth was recovered last Friday.
Ranging in size from 11 to 12cm and weighing between five and nine grams, they were believed to be less than one year old.
Council has confirmed the birthing took place during a freeze on breeding.
Parks performance manager Kate Gough said the council received a request from DoC and iwi in 2018 to pause its breeding programme after 32 years.
“This was done to keep the number of tuatara in captivity at a manageable level and to ensure enough genetic diversity existed amongst Invercargill’s captive population,” Gough said.
Despite the programme still being on hold, the discovery of the babies last week was still “extremely exciting”, she added.
“It was not believed that this particular type of tuatara (Brothers Island tuatara) was capable of breeding, so to have the new additions arrive is fantastic.”
DoC senior biodiversity ranger Ros Cole described the discovery of the animals last week as a “surprise”.
Tuatara breeding was overseen by a wider recovery group and iwi to ensure captive populations were maintained at a manageable level, she said.
“For the Invercargill captive population, there is no current need for them to breed and we have a good working relationship with the (council) to manage this.”
Cole shared the view that the Brothers Island tuatara were unable to produce offspring.
In a statement released by the council following the discovery, Te Ātiawa ki Te Waka-a-Māui Trust chief executive Justin Carter said the iwi welcomed the surprising news of baby tuatara.
On Saturday, a new enclosure capable of housing 18 tuatara will be officially opened at Queens Park Animal Reserve.
The council already manages 17 resident tuatara, meaning it would need to look at other options for the babies down the line.
The baby tuatara are currently being held in a temporary home inside the new tuatara facility.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
Local Democracy Reporting
Content from the Local Democracy Reporting (LDR) service is published by Scoop as a registered New Zealand Media Outlet LDR Partner.
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