ORANGE TAILED SKINKS SENT TO UK TO ENSURE SURVIVAL
A rare and extremely threatened species of skinks have been collected from their habitat in Mauritius recently and were sent with all due precautions to ensure their safe arrival in Britain where they will be undergoing a captive breeding programme in Jersey.
Already extinct on their original home ‘Flat Island’ the little crawlies are now under the care of the Durell Wildlife Conservation Trust, from where they will eventually return ‘home’ when enough breeding stock has been created in safe and conducive conditions and when back home on Mauritius an equally safe environment for their survival has been created. The relocation was a combined effort by the UK based organization in conjunction with the Mauritius Wildlife Trust and the Mauritius Minister of Agro-Industry, which proved particularly helpful to accomplish the task with minimum time lost in order to safe this species from going the way of the legendary ‘Dodo’.
The skinks were for long able to enjoy their habitat without predators until shrews arrived as ‘blind passengers’ on cargo vessels from the Indian subcontinent and then feasted on the skinks to the point of nearly exterminating them.
Watch this space when the story of the orange coloured skinks’ return breaks.
