Tuatara have no option but to stay
With no place to go, the tuatara will stay at the earthquake-prone Southland Museum and Art Gallery because there is nowhere else for them to go.
The tuatara breeding unit at the museum is the largest tuatara facility in the world and highly regarded by scientists.
Long-time resident Henry the tuatara, who is believed to be at least 110 years old, is world famous, having featured in documentaries and mingled with the likes of Prince Harry during his royal visit to New Zealand.
Southland Museum and Art Gallery manager Paul Horner said the tuatara would remain where they were.
Staff would be let into the museum under strict conditions to check on the tuatara and feed them from day to day, Horner said.
Museum staff would continue to progress the project outlined in the Invercargill City Council’s long-term plan to establish a permanent enclosure for the tuatara that would have space for kakapo, he said.
There was no need to rush the project, Horner said. It could be completed in 18 to 20 months or it could take longer, he said.
‘‘As far as the tuatara are concerned, nothing has changed. All that this [public closure of the museum] will mean is the members of the public peer at them from outside the museum.’’
Southland Museum and Art Gallery tuatara curator Lindsay Hazley said he was on leave when the announcement was made that the museum was closing but received a courtesy call about the decision.
Hazley was at the West Coast Wildlife Centre in Franz Josef yesterday, where he was helping to oversee the creation of a small tuatara facility.
He was confident the tuatara would be looked after. He believed the health of the tuatara would be paramount for museum management.
There was no other facility capable of looking after the tuatara, so he would have to work with management until a new one was built, Hazley said.
‘‘It’s totally unique. There’s nothing like it in the country.’’
There are about 80 tuatara at the museum.