KEY POINTS:
Lizard lovers are angry exotic reptiles being kept in quarantine at Auckland Zoo are likely to be dead by the end of the week.
Ten of 11 smuggled lizards will be put down but Biosecurity New Zealand would not say exactly when.
The agency is understood to be nervous of public protests. "It's an issue we are trying to manage sensitively," said spokesman Phil Barclay.
Last month, the agency said the reptiles would be killed as a deterrent to other smugglers and because of the risk they posed to native reptiles by introducing new diseases.
But yesterday Mr Barclay said disease was the only reason they were being put down.
"Do we keep a few diseased iguanas and run the risk of our own reptiles being diseased?" he asked.
All eight of the iguanas had a type of salmonella new to New Zealand and the two emerald green monitor lizards had a blood parasite. A blue monitor lizard was disease-free and would not be destroyed.
More testing was done by agency to confirm the reptiles were diseased.
"We have gone out of our way to make sure the situation is the one we thought we were dealing with initially," Mr Barclay said.
But the Herald understands the zoo has made moves to save the lizards with some staff upset at the destruction order. "We actually requested more information to help us understand the decision to euthanase but haven't had a response," said zoo spokeswoman Jane Healy.
A paper published last year by two Massey veterinarians recommended an injection of sodium pentobarbitone solution or inhalation of an anaesthetic gas to kill larger exotic lizard species such as monitor lizards.
Sodium pentobarbitone is a veterinary euthanasia agent.
It said reptiles should be carefully checked to make sure they were dead because some had a breathing rate that could be measured in minutes per breath.
It was also hard to detect the heart had stopped for the same reason.
Freezing, drowning and decapitation were "no longer considered acceptable".
The lizards could be worth several thousand dollars on the black market and were detected after being advertised on a website.
They cannot be returned to their native lands which include Indonesia and South America.
Mr Barclay would not say what legal action was being taken against those responsible for smuggling them into the country.
Zoo neighbour Jan Baker said she was tempted to protest outside the zoo over the euthanasia.
She had spoken to zoo staff who did not want the reptiles killed.
"I don't think it's a humane decision, especially when the zoo wants to keep them and house them," she said.
"They would be a valuable new display at the zoo."
She said agency should provide a veterinary certificate saying the reptiles were diseased.
"I think we need proof before they destroy them."
