Rotokare Scenic Reserve welcomes endangered striped skink to South Taranaki

The Rotokare Scenic Reserve Trust has welcomed three skink to its sanctuary, thanks to a partnership between the trust and Te Ara o Te Ata – Mt Messenger Bypass project, in collaboration with the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA), Te Ara o Te Ata project partner Ngāti Tama and local mana whenua Ngāti Tupaia.

The Rotokare Scenic Reserve Trust has welcomed a new endangered species to its sanctuary.

Thanks to a partnership between the trust and Te Ara o Te Ata – Mt Messenger Bypass project, in collaboration with the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA), Te Ara o Te Ata project partner Ngāti Tama and local mana whenua Ngāti Tupaia, the striped skink now has a new home in South Taranaki.

The striped skink (Oligosoma striatum), known for its lightning-quick movements and distinctive pale stripes, is one of the country’s most scarcely sighted lizards.

The bypass project team had found three of them during Te Ara o Te Ata’s work in Parininihi. Specialist ecologists relocated them to Auckland Zoo temporarily, ahead of rehoming at Rotokare on Wednesday, October 16.

Any further striped skinks found by the project will be transferred directly to Rotokare, with the team constructing a temporary holding area at Rotokare Scenic Reserve to hold them during the project’s construction.

Rotokare Scenic Reserve Trust conservation manager Fiona Gordon said striped skinks haven’t been found during formal lizard surveys at Rotokare, but it’s believed they were once present as they’ve been located in pockets around South Taranaki.

“We are excited to offer a safe home for this at-risk skink species in a space completely free of rodents, one of their main predators.”

The Trust is also working with the Department of Conservation to secure a permit to transfer further striped skinks from other locations across Taranaki if needed. It is hoped that skinks will flourish in their new home, creating a secure population in South Taranaki.