Tuatara get new home in Sounds

As Barbara Blanchard peeled back the sticky tape covering the end of a long cardboard tube, a small bright green nose appeared at the hole, followed tentatively by a scaly head with big eyes.

Taking its first peek at the South Island, a place it hadn't been since it was an egg, this rare Brothers Island tuatara had just flown to Marlborough from Wellington Zoo and was about to be released on Long Island in the Marlborough Sounds.

The tuatara was just one of 53 who as of yesterday afternoon called the pest-free island reserve their home - the first tuatara to do so.

Staff of Wellington Zoo, Victoria University, the Department of Conservation and kaumatua from Rangitane and Te Atiawa went to the island to release the tuatara in pre-dug burrows.

Barbara Blanchard was one of several Wellington Zoo staff to help release the tuatara, which were incubated and hatched at Victoria University as part of a study before being taken to the zoo where they spent the last seven years.

The eggs were collected from North Brother Island in Cook Strait.

Victoria University school of biological sciences researcher Sue Keall said the study aimed to find out if the temperature at which North Brothers tuatara's eggs are incubated affects the sex of the hatchling, as it does with other tuatara. Brothers Island tuatara are considered a separate species to other New Zealand tuatara.

She said the study showed warmer temperatures produced males and the island had more male than female tuatara which, when factors like global warming were taken into consideration, could mean a bleak future for the already small population.

Ms Keall said the study also found Brothers Island female's reproduced at a slower rate than other tuatara.

She said finally releasing the tuatara, on an island near where they were originally from, was a great feeling.

"It's been a very long process. Back in 2000 we collected eggs from an island ... there's a lot of nurturing and time involved. The people involved in this work are here because they love it.

"It doesn't get much better than this."

DOC Picton biodiversity programme manager Mike Aviss said Long Island was the perfect spot for the tuatara because it is a sea bird island, which meant the soil was fertile and full of insects and other lizards.

When the new tuatara were older, DOC would look at releasing more wild Brothers Island tuatara to get a diversity of ages and genes on the island, Mr Aviss said.

The tuatara have toe clips and will be monitored by DOC.