Critically endangered Nangur spiny skinks find new home

Issued: 2 July 2026

A group of critically endangered Nangur spiny skinks will now call Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary home, as experts work to prepare them for their eventual return to the wild.

Thirty-five skinks have been relocated from a Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) facility, where they have been housed as part of the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation’s (DETSI) Nangur spiny skink captive breeding and reintroduction program.

Their relocation highlights the important and critical work underway to protect Queensland’s most vulnerable wildlife and preserve its unique biodiversity.

The program launched after the Nangur spiny skink population in Nangur National Park continued to dramatically decline.

DETSI has been working tirelessly to breed and care for these threatened reptiles in captivity.

The captive breeding program is part of a larger recovery effort to improve outcomes for the species in the wild.

The program focuses on improving the survival rates of juveniles for release into the wild while also strengthening the genetic diversity of populations to secure their long-term survival.

The skinks will remain at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary (LPKS) until later this year, when they are ready to be reintroduced into Nangur National Park.

Since the program began, more than 100 skinks have been born in captivity, with around 35 of these having been released back into the wild.

DETSI senior ecologist Daniel Ferguson said the partnership with Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary was another vital step in expanding the program to support the recovery of the critically small and wild Nangur National Park population.

“Our captive breeding and reintroduction program includes research into the skink’s ecology and behaviour, providing a critical boost to species’ recovery to give it the best chance of long-term survival,” Mr Ferguson said.

Lone Pine’s Wildlife Curator Frank Mikula said the skinks would be housed in a purpose-built quarantine facility, located off public display at the sanctuary.

“Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is incredibly excited to be a part of this vital conservation project. As a wildlife sanctuary we have a commitment to always further our conservation work and to push this beyond our own backyard,” he said.

“The collaboration between DETSI and LPKS is an important step in helping to secure the long-term survival of this species, and the success of this program. We can’t wait to see the day where skinks that have been bred in the program are able to be released back to the wild.

“It’s rewarding for us here at Lone Pine to be playing an active role in helping to ensure the long-term survival of this species.”