A wildlife sanctuary says an Otago skink enclosure creates a rare chance for the public to see one.
The skink enclosure at Orokonui ecosanctuary in Dunedin. Photo: RNZ
The Orokonui Ecosanctuary north of Dunedin has released 30 of the threatened lizards into the new enclosure made of Central Otago schist.
Orokonui's conservation manager Elton Smith says just a few thousand Otago skinks have survived on about 8% of their former home range.
The lizard's last wild refuges, such as near the Macraes gold mine in east Otago, are not open to the public.
Mr Smith says that means the sanctuary's enclosure is the only chance most people will get to see New Zealand's largest species of skink.
