Tuatara Conservation

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Tuatara once lived on the North and South Islands of New Zealand.

But after the arrival of people, the kiore (pacific rat) and other animal enemies the tuatara soon became extinct on the main islands of New Zealand and some offshore islands.

Before the tuatara was fully protected by law in 1895, hundreds of specimens were shipped overseas for museums and private collections. The tuatara may have become extinct if it had not been protected – whew, that was lucky!

Tuatara live on 30 of New Zealand’s small offshore islands. People introduced cats, rats and pigs to these islands and cleared land for farming:

• Rats eat tuatara eggs and kill young tuatara; some islands had been left with too many old tuatara and not enough young ones. The rats need to be removed to stop these tuatara groups from becoming extinct.
• People were destroying tuatara habitat and some people were smuggling tuatara out of New Zealand to sell overseas.
• Because the islands are small, tuatara are in danger from fires and heavy storms.

The best way to protect tuatara is to keep rats and other pests, fire and development off tuatara islands. The Department of Conservation is able to remove rats from islands, and tuatara are gradually being returned to some of the islands on which they used to live. Lots of trees are also being planted on tuatara islands to restore the habitat.

In the early 1990’s DOC removed all tuatara from Red Mercury, Cuvier and Stanley islands so they could eradicate the rats from these islands without harming the tuatara. The islands are now rat-free and all the tuatara removed will be returned to their homes, plus some tuatara that were born in captivity while the rats were being removed. DOC expects to have all the tuatara back on their islands by the end of 2001.

DOC has established three new populations of tuatara on New Zealand’s offshore islands: Motuhora/Whale Island (Bay of Plenty), Titi Island (Marlborough Sounds) and Matiu/Somes Island (Wellington Harbour).

To increase the numbers of tuatara, scientists raise them in captivity. It is hard to get tuatara to mate in cages, and is easier to collect eggs from the wild, hatch them and raise the babies. The young tuatara will then be put back in the wild. Tuatara bred in captivity are released when they will be able to fend for themselves, usually at about 5 years old.

• Read ‘Conservation of the Tuatara’. By Mary McKintyre. Published by Victoria University Press, 1997.
• And ‘The Tuatara’ By Brian Parkinson. Published by Reed Children’s Books, 2000.
• Visit www.doc.govt.nz/cons/native/tuatara.htm
• Check out the Tuatara Resources page to find out more about the tuatara.