KEY POINTS:
Any lounge lizard needs a decent lounging jacket and green geckos are no exception.
The Department of Conservation is fitting out two green geckos with tiny polyester and latex jackets before they start a new life on a Wellington Harbour sanctuary this year.
The jackets have been made
to enable the geckos to carry transmitters so their progress can be monitored after they are shifted to Matiu/Somes Island.
DoC biodiversity ranger Andrew Morrison said by transferring the geckos to the island it was hoped a self-sustaining population would become established away from the threats of introduced predators and habitat destruction.
Matiu/Somes Island was already an important refuge for lizards in the Wellington region with four skink species, two gecko species and Brothers Island tuatara.
The movements of the gecko pair would be monitored daily by DoC staff and volunteers for 10 days after their release this month to find out where they go, paving the way for a larger study next year.
Mr Morrison said 30 green geckos, rescued from the clutches of urban cats or raised in captivity, would be relocated from the city to the island over the next two years.
The first six were expected to be transferred tomorrow and the jacket-clad geckos would join them in spring.
Two forest geckos and 12 ornate skinks, handed in to DoC by people who had rescued them from cats and building sites, would also make the trip this weekend.
Mr Morrison said both forest and green geckos were declining nationally due to habitat loss and predation by introduced species.
More people were rescuing native skinks and geckos as they became aware of the native animals in the city.
Mr Morrison said lizards rescued from cats should be kept in a box or darkened cage to recover overnight before being released back into the garden.
Rocks, tiles and bricks could provide them with a safe refuge.
Green geckos have bright green skin often marked by two rows of yellow cream to white blotches, and the inside of their mouth is blue.
They have baggy, velvety skin and broad heads while skinks have shiny, tight-fitting skins and look like snakes with legs.
Forest geckos can be recognised by the range of bark-like patterns in grey, brown and sometimes green for camouflage on their skin.
The inside of the mouth and tongue is bright yellow to orange.
