Three rare reptiles from a species not seen in New Zealand for 13 years have been moved to Wellington Zoo "for their own safety" ahead of this year's beech mast.
Two females and one male of the incredibly rare medium-sized St Arnaud species were rediscovered during a survey in late 2025, before they were relocated to Nelson Lakes.
Now, Department of Conservation's Nelson Lakes biodiversity ranger Yolanda Shergold said it was important to move the skinks into human care "for their own safety" ahead of the South Island beech mast this summer.
"When the beech trees seed en masse during a mast year, it means there’s lots of food available for rodents and their numbers surge. But when the seeding stops, these rodents will look elsewhere for food, and unfortunately, lizards like the speckled skink will be on the menu," she explained.
"Now we’ve found these skinks again, thanks to a recent survey funded by the International Visitor Levy, moving these individuals quickly into a safe managed programme was the best thing we could do for the future of the species."
Monitoring of this species for ten years from the early 2000s showed a severe population decline. At the time, these skinks were regarded as an unusual population of a more-widespread species, but advanced genetic work revealed they are a unique species.
Despite ongoing monitoring, none had been found since 2012, and there were fears the species — which grew to more than 20cm in length, were chocolate brown on top with cream-coloured flecking and heavily speckled with dark spots — may have died out.
Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo's acting director of wildlife, Nic Dunn, said it was a "privilege to care for this critically endangered species".
"Te Nukuao is already home to several threatened native lizard species including Whitaker’s skink, Wellington green gecko, and Duvaucel's gecko, so welcoming these rare lowland speckled skinks to the Zoo is very exciting, both for our team and the future of this species," he said.
"And they’re doing well. Our specialist Ectotherm Team has created a space where the three skinks are thriving."
Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō general manager Dave Johnston said the Trust was pleased to lead the safe relocation of the sink to Wellington Zoo, and thanked all those involved in the transfer and the mihi whakatau held on arrival.
"This kaupapa is an important contribution to the ongoing protection and conservation of our taonga species," he said.
Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō acknowledged mana whenua, Wellington Zoo, the Department of Conservation, and all those involved for their collective efforts.
Shergold said in the longer term, the Department intended to build a predator-proof fence around an area of the skink’s habitat.
"This is a species that was once common but has been taken to the brink by introduced predators and habitat loss. We’re working hard to secure its future for the long-term, by setting up a breeding programme and securing a safe site where these skinks can thrive in the wild.
Anyone who saw a skink that could potentially be a St Arnaud was urged to snap a picture, record your exact location, and get in touch with the Department of Conservation.
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