Telfair's Skink

Off towards Africa with the first of 2 sea days so there is time to reflect on Mauritius. On my trip to Ile aux Aigrettes I saw several animals that are found only in Mauritius. One of them is Telfair's Skink (a type of lizard that can grow up to 36 inches long). It was once numerous on Mauritius and offshore islands. Due to habitat destruction  and introduced species like goats, black rats, and rabbits, it has been limited to Round Island in Mauritius since the middle of the 19th century. When Gerald Durrell visited Round Island in the 1970s he recorded only 5,000 specimens. He took some specimens to the Jersey Zoo ( in England)  to build up a captive breeding program. Since the eradication of the goats and rabbits on Round Island, the skink population has increased to the point that some could be relocated to other islands such as the predator free Île aux Aigrettes. However, in 2020 a major oil spill sent copious amounts of oil to the beaches of the islands. The oil is toxic to these reptiles as they go to the beaches and could have eradicated them. Once again the Durell Foundation stepped in. Volunteers collected the skinks and they were sent to the Jersey Zoo for a few years until they could be safely returned to Mauritius. They are still listed as threatened.

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