Cobble Skink Photo: supplied
Nearly a decade after almost going extinct, Aotearoa's endemic cobble skink's surprising comeback has been given a boost.
One hundred and forty-eight skinks, initially bred as an "insurance" population at Auckland Zoo, were released this month to bolster the growing numbers.
It comes after the Department of Conservation (DOC) discovered new populations of the reptile on the West Coast in 2021, with one site housing more than 22,000.
Cobble skinks are known to only live on a tiny strip of coastline north of Westport, no bigger than one hectare.
"We are really pleased to have found the situation is not as dire as originally thought," DOC biodiversity project lead Kate Simister said.
"Although significant threats such as sea level rise, coastal erosion and weeds encroaching on their habitat still face cobble skink in the long-term, for now, we can return the captive population to the wild and focus our efforts on in-situ management and protection."
In 2016 fewer than 100 cobble skinks were thought to be in the wild, leading the species to be classified as Nationally Critical as their habitat was severely impacted by coastal erosion.
In an attempt to combat their dwindling numbers, a breeding programme was started at Auckland Zoo that same year, rescuing 35 skinks and a further six in 2022. Those 148 animals released last week were a result of that breeding programme.
"Through a combination of prior experience and evidence-based adaptation, we quickly established a successful husbandry regime under which the skinks both thrived and reproduced," Auckland Zoo head of animal care and conservation Richard Gibson said.
"Genetic and demographic management plans meant these few animals quickly became the potential source to recover the species and we learned a great deal about their natural history while in our care, things that would help inform their eventual recovery.
"Now we know they're not quite as close to the precipice of extinction, we have the luxury of returning the zoo population to the wild to reintroduce valuable genetics. We will continue to work with our DOC partners and iwi to plan for long-term security for this species living so precariously close to the edge."
Cobble skinks play a role as pollinators and seed dispersers in the West Coast ecosystem.
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