Tuatara’s short freedom bid
A TUATARA making a great escape from an ecosanctuary has been foiled by an eagle-eyed member of the public.
The 30-centimetre female tuatara made a dash for freedom though a water gate at Orokonui Ecosanctuary, north of Dunedin, but was spotted by the member of the public scuttling into the grass on the wrong side of the predator-proof fence.
The brazen daytime escape yesterday was soon over when Orokonui conservation manager, Elton Smith, found the reptile 100 metres from the ecosanctuary and took her back inside.
Because no fence breaches were found, it was thought the tuatara may have been swept through water gates that open during high rainfall.
General manager Chris Baillie said the plucky tuatara would have been given a wild ride through the fast moving water.
Because the water was moving so quickly, there was no danger of predators entering in the other di- rection, she said.
However, outside of the fence it was a different story and the tuatara wouldn’t have survived long with cats, stoats and rats ready for an easy dinner.
The reptile did not go by any name or alias as it was one of 87 wild tuatara at the sanctuary, Baillie said. It was the first time any reptile had escaped from the sanctuary since it opened in 2009.