Six jewelled geckos have been repatriated to New Zealand this month in a curious trans-national case involving the potential illegal smuggling of a rare and threatened taonga species.
Jewelled geckos are native to the southeast of the South Island and are generally a striking bright green with diamond-shaped patches or stripes although in some populations the males are grey or brown. Their bodies grow up to 8 cm in length, but their tail doubles their length. Their New Zealand threat classification is "At Risk, Declining". If you're out naturing in forests or shrublands in places like Canterbury, Otago or Southland, you might be fortunate to see one.
DOC's Wildlife Crime Team Leader Dylan Swain says a group of 14 jewelled geckos were discovered by Dutch wildlife authorities as part of Operation Thunder in 2023. Operation Thunder is an international operation, involving several government organisations and Interpol, which focusses on the illegal trade in protected wildlife.
"Jewelled geckos have never legally been exported from New Zealand," Dylan says.
"It's likely the geckos found by our Dutch counterparts were in fact smuggled out of New Zealand or are the offspring of such animals."
Dutch authorities are continuing investigations into the person who was found with the geckos.
The six geckos returned to New Zealand comprise two males and four females.
They were returned to New Zealand in International Air Travel Association‑compliant individual containers with small ventilation holes and kept at a consistent temperature throughout their journey.
All geckos will receive close care and attention, and the entire group will spend a minimum of 60 days in quarantine as part of their return process.
Although some of the original group of animals have since died, DOC has worked closely with at The Netherlands NVWA (Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority), United for Wildlife (part of the Royal Foundation) and Korean Air to safely return the geckos all the way from Netherlands to New Zealand via Korea.
A Dutch inspector accompanied the geckos on their repatriation journey.
"We are delighted to be able to bring a small group of six of the geckos back to New Zealand," Dylan says. "They'll spend a quarantine period at Wellington Zoo before they're shifted to a new permanent home."
NVWA spokesperson Lex Benden says: "We are pleased our investigation has contributed to the geckos now being back where they belong."
Dutch authorities are collaborating with DOC to share information on this matter and the wider trade in geckos across Europe.
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