Dragons loose near Levin

People are being asked to keep their eyes out for water dragons in Horowhenua, after a second exotic lizard was found at a lake reserve near Levin.

Water dragons are an Australian species that can grow as long as a metre, and could breed in the wild and threaten local wildlife, said Manawatu¯ Department of Conservation ranger Sue Moore.

One was captured near lake Waiwiri in the Papaitonga Scenic Reserve, south of Levin, in May last year in ‘‘poor condition’’, with rat bites on its body. But Moore said a second lizard has been photographed more recently at the reserve.

‘‘We are concerned about this second water dragon... We have contracted a lizard expert to catch and remove this water dragon from the reserve.’’

Water dragons are kept as pets in New Zealand, so the lizards could have escaped or been dumped. The captured water dragon was still young and about 12 centimetres long, and the sighted one was ‘‘a little bigger’’, she said.

Conditions in Horowhenua would be colder than the lizards like, but if they were old enough, water dragons could still potentially breed in the Horowhenua environment.

‘‘They lay lots of eggs. They lay eggs in clutches ranging from 6 to 18 eggs,’’ Moore said.

Staff were brushing up on their knowledge of the Aussie imports, but it was not yet clear if there would be traceable evidence to show whether there were already other water dragons in the wild.

The scaly reptiles could spread disease and prey on struggling populations of native mudfish and koura – freshwater crayfish. The reserve is home to two threatened species of giant land snails that could make juicy targets for the omnivorous reptiles, she said. ‘‘A pet in the wild is a pest. ‘‘If there are more than one and they are breeding... we’ll have to adapt our management approaches.

‘‘It becomes a Ministry for Primary Industries matter. We are keeping them informed.’’

Being released into the wild was not good for pets who are used to being fed regularly, so the original released lizards would probably have a bad time, she said.