How many snakes and exotic reptiles have entered New Zealand?

Snakes sometimes 'hitchhike' to New Zealand. Photo / Mariposavet, Flickr, Creative Commons

A live python found in an Auckland industrial estate was one of several “hitchhiker” snakes intercepted in recent years, including a deadly but dead Australian brown snake.

The python was unusual for being still alive when discovered, as many exotic reptiles are dead on arrival in New Zealand.

Data from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) outlined reptile interceptions in recent years.

The eastern brown snake was found dead at a wharf in Christchurch in 2022.

In 2020 a black copper rat snake or yellow striped snake, Coelognathus flavolineatus, was found at an Auckland wharf.

The same year, a mildly venomous rear-fanged Asian coloubrid snake, Chrysopelea ornata, was found at a wharf in Christchurch.

Other snakes intercepted since then include Lycodon capucinus, also known as the common wolf snake, a colubrid snake commonly found in Southeast Asia.

Another intercepted individual was an Elaphe quadrivirgata, commonly known as the Japanese four-lined ratsnake or the Japanese striped snake, which is non-venomous.

“It is important to note that these relate to interceptions at the border of hitchhiker pests [reptiles that have ‘stowed away’ or ‘hitchhiked’] in cargo arriving on ships in port for example,” MPI said when it supplied the data to the Herald.

“Occasionally a common reptile hitchhiker may be detected in somebody’s suitcase unbeknown to the traveller.”

In 2020, 105 retiles were intercepted. The year after, 74 were recorded. In 2021, 69 interceptions were recorded. The year after that, 61 cases were recorded and last year Biosecurity NZ recorded interceptions of only 27 individual reptiles.

MPI said interceptions had generally declined in frequency since 2021.

This Northland green gecko juvenile among mānuka is a native species. Photo / Kiwi North

It said when Covid was running rampant in 2020 and 2021, many importers were stockpiling, and that meant more goods – and reptiles – were coming in.

“During 2022 and 2023, cargo volumes began to stabilise.”

MPI had a specialist herpetologist contracted to Biosecurity New Zealand to identify reptile species and maintain a database of border and post-border detections.

The common house gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus) was by far the most commonly intercepted reptile.

It can climb upside down on ceilings, eats insects and can regrow its own tail.

MPI said New Zealand had strong biosecurity controls to prevent the establishment of unwanted reptile species.

“These include strict import rules, border checks and post-border surveillance to detect any reptile that may get past the border. It also includes our response team, who ensure New Zealand can respond quickly to post-border detections.”

Skinks and water dragons have also been intercpeted numerous times.