The entire global population lives in one five-acre wetland.
Every single Alborn skink believed to be alive today is in one isolated, five-hectare wetland in New Zealand.
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“We’re at a really critical moment for the future of this beautiful little lizard and that with only 30 left it’s either extinction or conservation and the saving of this species, which is something we all have an opportunity to be a part of,” says Sophie Handford at NZ Nature Fund.
Without intervention, the species could be driven to extinction within five years.
Mice almost wiped out the entire population
Recently, conservation teams noticed a worrying threat - a sharp increase in mice hunting the skinks.
Mice prey on small reptiles, particularly juveniles, and can quickly overwhelm a population of this size.
After using traps and bait to kill the mice already inside the wetland, near Reefton on New Zealand’s South Island, conservationists moved fast to build a predator-proof fence. It’s more than two metres high and extends more than a metre below ground to prevent burrowing animals from entering.
It is designed to keep out mice as well as other invasive predators common in New Zealand, like stoats and possums.
Ranger Charlotte Crummack says removing mice from inside the enclosure has already had a big impact: “We had very, very high mice numbers in here last year and we’ve managed to knock them back to zero and sustain that for a number of months now…so these guys have got a much better future ahead of them.”
Skinks are living peacefully at Auckland Zoo
Even with the fence in place, Alborn skinks are still highly vulnerable to extinction.
This small adult male Alborn skink is one of an estimated 30 individuals left anywhere in the world.
“If we get another plague within the fenced area that could wipe out the 30 odd individuals that are left here, but what is looking good for the skink is that we have had zero tracking for the last few months so they’ve got a reprieve to start building a good population within the fence,” says Principal ranger Gemma Hunt.
To reduce that risk further, part of the population has been removed from the wild. Eight skinks are now held at Auckland Zoo in a controlled environment.
There, keepers replicate natural conditions using heat lamps and regulated humidity to allow the animals to thermoregulate - a critical behaviour for reptiles.
The facility provides a backup population in case of failure at the wild site. Two offspring have already been born in captivity, increasing the total number of individuals under managed care.
Funding is critical
At the same time, conservation groups are seeking funding to support the project long term. Maintaining the fence, monitoring traps and staffing the site requires continuous resources. The current plan is to secure funding for at least five years of active management.
Sophie Handford from the NZ Nature Fund says the situation is at a crucial point.
She says: “We’re at a really critical moment for the future of this beautiful little lizard and that with only 30 left it’s either extinction or conservation and the saving of this species which is something we all have an opportunity to be a part of.”
