Riley Hossack, 6, is in charge of regularly checking predator traps to keep the skinks safe.
Riley Hossack, 6, is in charge of regularly checking predator traps to keep the skinks safe.
A population of endangered lizards - thought to be the Hawke’s Bay skink – have been found living in a blackberry bush in Waipawa, Central Hawke’s Bay.
This is the first time the Hawke’s Bay skink has been found in Central Hawke’s Bay, with the only other known populations in the region being within the predator-proof fence at Cape Sanctuary (Cape Kidnappers) in the Hastings district.
Donna Hossack, who owns the property where the skinks have made their home in the blackberry bush, says: “About two years ago, we redid some of the drainage on our property, and part of that was bringing in a huge amount of drainage stones. Last summer was a write-off, but with the weather now warming up, we discovered [in] early September that there were skinks coming out of the blackberry and basking on the stones.”
Caelyn and Riley Hossack checking the tracking tunnels put out to check on the rare skinks.
“My daughter Caelyn, who is 9, saw the first one. She remembered we have a New Zealand reptile book in our home library, so read it from cover to cover and identified it as a speckled skink.
“We were able to share a photo with a herpetologist from Auckland, Nick Harker, and he confirmed it was a Hawke’s Bay skink, which is part of the speckled skink complex. Our book was quite old, and it is only in the last few years that the Hawke’s Bay skink has been reclassified under its own category, so she did very well to identify it.
“Nick and his brother Tim, another herpetologist, visited a few weeks later. We were lucky to see a couple on the day they were here, and they were able to confirm the identification,” Donna says.
“We are all excited and trying to work out how to best protect them and provide a better habitat than the overgrown blackberry bush. The children have both been heavily involved from the start, both [being] very excited about the discovery and hands-on with what we’ve been doing.
Based on the reptiles' appearance and where they were found, experts believe the lizard population are Hawke’s Bay skinks. Photo / Nick Harker
“Nick was able to put us in touch with a local DoC [Department of Conservation] contact about the find, and they’ve been great at giving us some advice. Because we are quite interested in conservation matters, we already had a few contacts that I knew would be interested, so we’ve had support from the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council and The Conservation Company. Everyone has been excited about the discovery.
”Since discovering where they are, we’ve been surprised at how many we’ve seen once we stop and look. Caelyn can often be found in front of their habitat reading a book, and will come inside afterwards telling us how many she’s seen.
“Riley, who is 6, has put his hand up to check on the traps regularly and we have a couple that are safe enough for him to set under adult supervision. We also placed out some tracking tunnels so we could try to work out how far their territory spread.
“Because we don’t use sprays, the blackberries are the wild kind that we just can’t get on top of. I get incredibly frustrated with it, but have a new sense of appreciation for them since the discovery.
“They may not be the perfect habitat, but they’ve provided these special creatures with the best protection and let them go undetected for so long.”
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council biodiversity adviser Natalie de Burgh says it was a heartening discovery, considering the species’ dramatically reduced population and distribution.
”The Hawke’s Bay skink was once widespread throughout the district, but introduced predators and habitat change have severely affected this special species. Currently, 94 per cent of all reptiles in New Zealand are either threatened or at risk of extinction, so this is an incredibly exciting discovery.
Caelyn Hossack, 9, was the first to spot the rare skinks and can often be found in front of their habitat reading a book.
”Now that we know of this population in Central Hawke’s Bay, we’re hoping to find other skinks across the region.”
DoC Hawke’s Bay biodiversity ranger Thalia Sachtleben says it’s always exciting to find more places where these skinks are flourishing.
”These skinks are a nationally endangered species, and their ongoing survival is uncertain without help from people. It’s great to see locals so enthusiastic about caring for our unique local fauna.”
There are many ways people can help protect New Zealand’s unique reptilian species – creating lizard-friendly gardens, controlling rodents and reporting any sightings to DoC.
Donna says: “We’ve been given so much advice and obviously done our own research, but we need help with turning that information into something tangible.
“If anyone is in a position to donate materials or time, we’d love to hear from them via the CHB Mail.
“We need skink-friendly plants suitable for clay soil, wooden trapping tunnels and fencing to keep predators out (posts, chicken wire, nails, tools, experience), and some heavy mesh that can be curved into a U shape, to cover the drainage stones. Ideally mesh small enough to keep out rats, but at least keeping out predators from hedgehog size upwards.”
