Court appearance over gecko thefts

A man will appear in court today charged with the theft of more than 20 geckos taken from two separate locations in Northland over the past 10 days.

This followed a raid on a rural property west of Whangarei yesterday during which at least 15 geckos were recovered by police and Department of Conservation (DOC) staff.

Acting police sergeant Christian Stainton said that a 19-year-old unemployed Whangarei man would appear in Whangarei District Court today facing two charges of burglary.

They were at Whangarei Museum on June 28-29 when seven forest geckos were stolen, and Ti Point Reptile Park, Warkworth, on June 27 when 16 green geckos were taken.

He thanked the public for their help in tracking down the geckos which were currently being cared for by DOC.

- NZPA