NEW ZEALAND HERALD (Auckland) 13 November 06 Freedom at last for gulf island's tuatara
For the first time in more than a decade, dozens of tuatara are roaming free on Little Barrier in the Hauraki Gulf.
Until now the slow-breeding reptiles have had to live in captivity to protect them from predatory rats on the island.
However, thanks to a successful rat eradication programme the tuatara are being released back into the wild.
Conservation Minister Chris Carter released the first of 60 tuatara at a special event yesterday.
"The release of tuatara is a major achievement in the ecological restoration of New Zealand's premier nature reserve," said Mr Carter, who wants to see the island revert to the type of place it was before the arrival of humans.
"Several of the species living on the island have already started to show signs of recovery since kiore were eradicated, and I eagerly await seeing tuatara flourish as well," Mr Carter said.
The Department of Conservation started a captive management breeding programme for tuatara on Little Barrier in the early 1990s.
Eight of the founding reptiles were taken into captivity and have since bred more than 100 tuatara. The released tuatara are between 8 and 12 years old.
Tuatara are found on about 35 islands. Seven are in Cook Strait and hold about 45,500 animals.
About 10,000 northern tuatara are spread over islands in the Hauraki Gulf, off Northland, the Coromandel Peninsula and the Bay of Plenty.
Freedom at last for gulf island's tuatara