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Travelling Tuatara

Ten young tuatara have taken off for a new home in the Berlin Zoo under the watchful eye of German-born biology technical officer Christa Krey.

The four-year-old tuatara were hatched and raised at Victoria University from eggs gathered on Stephens Island. They will make up the first breeding colony to be established outside New Zealand. Tuatara expert Dr Charles Daugherty says that captive breeding is an important part of conservation management, and notes that tuatara have only rarely bred in captivity.

Berlin Zoo has a world reputation for breeding rare species, but it may take them some time before they have any success with their new animals. The tuatara won't be sexually mature for another eight years, and it is not possible to tell until then how many males and females are in the group.