Invercargill City Council parks and recreation manager Caroline Rain said the tuatara, which were in between moves, had just received their six-monthly health checks — known around the council office as their "Plunket checks" — and all were given a clean bill of health by the a team of specialist living species officers.
The tuatara were previously housed at the Southland Museum and Art Gallery, but were moved to a temporary, safe location while the museum rebuild project progresses.
The new Project 1225 will have a brand-new specialist enclosure for the tuatara built within the Queens Park animal reserve.
The facility has been designed by Christchurch-based firm Studio 4 and is scheduled for completion in mid-2024. The tuatara are likely to need a settling-in period when they move into their new home.
While visual checks were performed on the tuatara frequently throughout the year, the health checks were a more hands-on, extensive examination, she said.
First the tuatara had to be caught and placed in a plastic container to transport them.
"The tub is safer than just carrying them on your arm, in case they decide to make a run for it," council species officer Jessey Beattie-Mackey said.
"Taking their measurements is actually the most challenging part of the whole process.
Their bodies have to be straight and extended throughout, and some of the tuatara are quite big and difficult to hold like that.
Visitors to the new tuatara enclosure would be able to walk around the exterior, to view inside the facility. The building will include space for a bug station, hospital pen, and working areas for the living species officers, as well as a public viewing window where visitors will be able to watch the health checks in the future.
