Dunedin has some new residents in the form of rare and endangered lizards.
Around 20 endangered green skinks will move in today at the Orokonui Ecosanctuary, with a further 20 arriving over the next few days.
General manager Chris Baillie says it's always a highlight for the Ecosanctuary to establish a population of a new rare species.
"Not a lot is known about skinks in general," she says.
"It's important for education advocacy so that people learn about them, see them and are motivated to assist whatever way they can in their conservation."
The Ecosactuary provides a safe habitat for the skinks and allows researchers to learn more about the lizards.
Thirty-three of our skink species are found nowhere else in the world, the Department of Conservation says.
"If we are not careful it will quietly slide into extinction," she says.
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