Round Island skink  (Leiolopisma telfairii)

Round Island is a refuge for many rare and endangered plants and animals, several of which are found nowhere else in the world (5). Many of these species used to occur in Mauritius and on other islets, but have been exterminated by a combination of habitat loss and depredation by exotic animals brought by human settlers. Mongooses, rats, and cats are the worst offenders but by a stroke of good fortune, Round Island has remained free of these invaders. However, Round Island suffered terribly from introduced goats and rabbits grazing on the vegetation, preventing plant regeneration and causing serious soil erosion (2).

Recent conservation measures on Round Island, and especially those involving the Round Island skink, have met with considerable success. The Mauritian Wildlife Foundation (MWF), New Zealand Department of Conservation (NZ, DOC) and Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust (DWCT) have all worked closely with the Mauritian Government to help protect the remaining species from extinction (5). They began by eradicating the goats and rabbits. This has allowed the island’s vegetation to begin a natural process of regeneration, assisted by intensive restoration programmes including weeding, propagation, planting and seeding of pioneer and endemic plant species. The improved habitat available on Round Island as in turn resulted in a dramatic increase in Round Island skink numbers in the past 15 years (2).

The species has also been bred successfully at DWCT’s Jersey Zoo and other zoos in Europe and the USA (6).

Despite its revived and healthy population this species is still considered vulnerable since it is only found on Round Island. While other Round Island endemic species might be translocated to other islets formerly within their range and which have had exotic predators removed, the skink is such a voracious predator that there are concerns it may feed on, and deplete, other rare lizard species endemic to some of these islets (6) (2).