Endangered alpine lizards get baby boost as captive breeding program shows promise in victoria’s mountains

A conservation success story is unfolding high in Victoria’s Alpine National Park, where a small population of critically endangered guthega skinks may soon welcome two new additions to their ranks. A female lizard named Omeo is expecting to give birth in March, potentially increasing the protected population from 11 to 13 individuals—a significant milestone for one of Australia’s rarest reptiles.

The guthega skink represents one of Australia’s few alpine lizard species, surviving only in the harsh conditions of “sky islands” above 1,600 meters elevation. These remarkable reptiles cling to existence in just two isolated mountain regions: Victoria’s Bogong High Plains and New South Wales’s Mount Kosciuszko area. Their precarious habitat makes them particularly vulnerable to climate change and environmental pressures.

The breeding program involves releasing captive-bred skinks into a specially protected “gated community” within the Alpine National Park, where researchers can monitor their progress while providing them with optimal conditions for survival and reproduction. This controlled environment allows scientists to track individual lizards like Omeo and gather crucial data about their breeding patterns and habitat needs.

While the numbers may seem small, every birth matters critically for this endangered species. The successful pregnancy demonstrates that the captive breeding and release program is working, offering hope that guthega skinks can recover from the brink of extinction. Conservation biologists view these births as essential stepping stones toward building a self-sustaining wild population in Australia’s alpine regions.