Hatchery roof collapses on the mischievous skinks in Mauritius
09/10/2012
Telfair’s skinks is the largest lizard in Mauritius and is inquisitive and almost mishievous. They are important pollinators, seed dispersers playing a key role in their local ecosystem. Continued efforts by Mauritius Wildlife Foundation to breed Telfair’s skink Leiolopisma telfairii to repopulate lost reptile communities on several Mauritian islands have been thwarted by the collapse of the hatchery roof. The hatchery incubate skink eggs and protects hatchlings from predators. Insects to feed the hatchlings are bred here too. Telfair’s skinks is the largest lizard in Mauritius and is inquisitive and almost mishievous. They are important pollinators, seed dispersers playing a key role in their local ecosystem. Any small donations would help. WVI’s work in Mauritius The Mauritian Wildlife Foundation (MWF) is a long established NGO dedicated to the restoration of the native habitat and endangered endemic species on Mauritius and its surrounding islands. Their iconic ground-breaking conservation work with critically endangered populations of birds and reptiles involves support by hands-on management, translocation, and research which has led to the recovery of the Mauritius kestrel, pink pigeon and parakeet from tiny numbers to potentially viable populations today. However, some of these species, the pigeon and parakeet in particular, have complex disease problems which are limiting their continued growth, requiring continuous veterinary support. WVI vet Andrew Greenwood has provided support to all the MWF projects since 1993, funded initially by the World Parrot Trust, and later by the Mauritian Government through an agreement with MWF. Recently, government has declared itself unable to maintain this funding and so this vital veterinary supervision is in jeopardy, just at the point where delicate species like the Mauritius Fody, Olive white-eye, and various seabirds are being targeted for recovery effort. Help WVI support endangered species in Mauritius by donating here.