MACARTHUR CHRONICLE (Wollondilly, Australia) 09 November 10 Blue-tongue lizards in danger as weather warms (Vera Bertola)
Reptiles’ love of basking in the sunshine has become a dangerous occupation for the Macarthur region’s blue-tongue lizards.
The Avian Reptile & Exotic Pet Hospital at Cobbitty has tended to about a dozen lizards in the past fortnight, the victims of dog attacks.
Some of the lizards’ injuries have been so severe they have had to be euthanased while others were still recovering from their wounds. Veterinary nurse Melanie Hammond said blue-tongues were more active as the weather warmed up and this put them at risk.
“People are bringing them in. They’ve been in gardens and backyards and dogs are going up to them and pushing them around to play,” she explained. “We’ve seen them with punctured lungs, fractured skulls ... they’re usually grabbed around the chest or abdomen and this can be fatal.”
Ms Hammond advised pet owners that if they saw a blue-tongue in their backyard to provide a refuge or relocate it.
“If they don’t have places in the garden for them to hide then find them a hollow log or something like that where they can take refuge,” she said. “Or I’d suggest relocating them to the closest park.”
Blue-tongue lizards in danger as weather warms