26 confiscated dwarf girdled lizards are being rehabilitated at the Moscow Zoo

The lead zoologist of the Moscow Zoo’s “Herpetology” department, Denis Parshin, told TASS that the lizards that arrived were initially thin, so they are now being fattened up and recovering after transport.

According to him, 26 girdled lizards were sent to the zoo: a pair is on display, and the rest are housed in laboratories.

Parshin clarified that at first the animals were fed twice a week, although that is a lot for them, then they switched to a once-a-week schedule, and later they may be fed once every 10 days.

Dwarf girdled lizards eat insects — crickets, small locusts, and wax moth caterpillars. In the wild, these rare lizards live in very arid areas of the western part of South Africa’s Cape Province, where in summer temperatures can reach 30 degrees and there is almost no rainfall.

They get moisture, among other things, from fog and condensation on their scales. In May, employees of the Kaliningrad Regional Customs prevented an attempt to illegally export 37 dwarf girdled lizards from Russia, after which specialists from the Moscow Zoo were contacted to save part of the confiscated shipment.

Because of prolonged transport in unsuitable conditions and a lack of proper care, the lizards began to fall ill and die. Conditions as close as possible to their natural habitat were created for the reptiles, and they were placed in terrariums 1 m long, 90 cm wide, and 60 cm high.

The lizards can be seen at the “Amazing World of Reptiles” exhibit.

Sources

• TASS