Tuataras in popular demand

Press, 24 July 1986, Page 16

Tuataras in popular demand

By

JENNIFER PAGONIS

of Reuters (through NZPA> Wellington New Zealand’s tuataras are falling prey to rats and criminals who use the unique prehistoric reptiles as payment in narcotics transactions, say police and wildlife experts. The spiny-backed cousins of the long-dead dinosaur have become a popular collectors’ item on the international black market where police say they fetch nearly SUS6OOO (SNZII,I6O) a head. Wildlife experts say that last year alone the entire 200-head tuatara population on one of its remote island habitats was wiped out by human or animal predators. The reptiles, which scientists believe are living fossils, have been cocooned through the ages on tiny islands scattered round New Zealand’s coast by their isolation

and a lack of natural enemies.

However, although thousands of tuataras still survive and are in little danger of becoming extinct like several of New Zealand’s rare bird species, New Zealand Wildlife Service officials are concerned that their numbers are declining. The tuatara is the only survivor of an order of reptiles that became extinct 60 million to 80 million years ago. “It is not an endangered species, but it is an endemic. species here. If anything happened to them in New Zealand they would be extinct,” said the Wildlife Service director, Mr Ralph Adams.

The police have so far failed to catch any tuatara poachers in spite of help last year from Interpol and United States federal agencies as well as continued efforts by local customs and agriculture authorities. “We know there is tuatara poaching but we do not know to what degree, and we do not have any positive proof,” Mr Adams said.

The poachers have everything in their favour. They can go to the unpopulated and unprotected islands by boat and helicopter while wildlife staff, limited by manpower, cannot visit every tuatara island more than once a year.

Once captured the tuataras are smuggled out of New Zealand by ship, air and private yacht.

The Wildlife Service estimates dozens of tuataras have been smuggled

out of New Zealand during the last four years and says maximum fines of SUSBOO (SNZI4BB) are of little help. United States authorities have told the Wildlife Service they suspect the tuatara trafficking is linked to narcotics trading, with the reptiles used as payment for drugs. .

The tuatara, which appears on the New Zealand 5c coin, grows to about 60cm in length, weighs about Ikg, and lives for about 100 years, scientists say.

Tuataras had disappeared from New Zealand’s two main islands by the turn of the century. They now live on only 28 islands, mostly off Auckland’s east coast, the Bay of Plenty, and in Cook Strait. Six of the islands are infested with rats — the small brown Polynesian rat and the larger and

more aggressive Norway rat.

While wildlife staff face problems dealing with poaching, they are having more success poisoning the vermin.

Fully protected by the law, tuataras are also shielded by Nature as they mostly inhabit inaccessible cliff-bound islands and live in burrows that they often share with nesting seabirds. They can defend themselves against the Polynesian rat at a certain stage of maturity but wildlife experts say they do not fare well against the Norway rat, which eats tuatara eggs. Although two of the main breeding islands are more accessible, they are watched over by lighthouse keepers. “We are definitely a deterrent to poaching,” said Mr Bill Megennis, a relieving lighthouse

keeper oh Stephens Island.

“If nobody was here poachers would get a free rein,” he said.' A lizard allowance paid to keepers for looking after the welfare of lizard colonies and tuataras was stopped many years ago, but keepers still help wildlife staff with tuatara research.

“The keepers take a keen interest in the tuataras. They are neat little things,” Mr Megennis said. i

“There are some resident characters like Old George with a white stripe on his back, who has been wandering round the track on Brothers Island for about ' 90 years.” ;■ ?, “There are heaps of them about,” Megennis said. They liked to come out on damp, misty nights to eat delicious local insects called wetas. : ?;;