80 Duvaucel’s gecko now reside at Tāwharanui Open Sanctuary, the first mainland population of this largest NZ lizard for at least 60 if not 100 years.

A big thank you to Manu Barry of Massey University who has lead this project. It has been so well planned and executed.

Thank you to the Becroft Foundation for the funding to TOSSI that made this possible.

Thank you TOSSI and rangers for keeping the site pest free making this possible.

Thank you to Ngāti Manuhiri and other man whenua partners for your support of this kaupapa.

As with many reintroductions it would be easy to think we are done now the animals are released, but in fact it is a case of now we can start to manage them on site.
Two years of intensive mouse suppression lie ahead before we can move into phase two to ease off on mouse control to determine mouse damage thresholds for this species.

This is our 11th reintroduced species to rebuild the ecology of Tāwharanui Open Sanctuary. Other species have of course returned of their own accord or have been found to be present after being suppressed in low numbers for years.