Port Moresby Nature Park has been handed 10 baby blue-tongued lizards rescued by the Salonica family residing in Taurama, Moresby South.

The children heard their dog barking repeatedly during the night and when eldest child Henry went to investigate, he saw a figure that looked like a lizard lying in their backyard.

Unsure of what he was looking at, he called on his father to check and they discovered that it was a heavily pregnant blue-tongue lizard. Their dog had attacked the lizard unfortunately killing it but lying beside the dead lizard was a number of hatchlings.

Brave Leticia Salonica gathered all the, little lizards together and realised that there were still three in their sacs in the mother’s womb. She was able to break open the sacs and release them. In total there were 12 blue-tongue hatchlings but sadly one did not live.

As they were unsure of how to care them, they contacted the Nature Park knowing that the park would have the expertise to care for the little orphans.

Moi Salonica, mother of these brave children, said, “As a child growing up in that area, I would see so many blue-tongued lizards, even as recently as two years ago. But since the Taurama area continues to develop you just don’t see them anymore which is quite sad.”

The family met with Brett Smith, curator of the Nature Park, who advised that the hatchlings would be cared for and once older and depending on how well they recovered, would either be released into the park or remain within the parks collection of existing blue-tongued lizards.

Mr Smith said that blue-tongue lizards are known to give birth to live young noting how amazing it was that the female could have contained within its own small body up to a record 20 babies, each up to 14cm in length on birth.

Port Moresby Nature Park is PNG’s only member zoo in the Zoo and Aquarium Association of Australasia having been assessed as holding international standards in animal welfare and care.