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The Ti Point Reptile Park is mourning the loss of a tortoise and an iguana, which were stolen from the park on the night of Tuesday, March 19.
Thieves broke into the property through a fence and stole one large 18-year-old leopard tortoise and a green iguana. The tortoise has been at the park since he was around two, and the iguana was hatched there.
Park manager Mike Chillingworth says both animals require specific care and are not suitable as pets.
“Events like this are frustrating and disappointing, but our main concern is for the welfare of the animals.
You can’t just put them in a terrarium – they need space,” he says.
While it is legal to keep a tortoise, it is illegal to have a green iguana in New Zealand outside a zoo.
Chillingworth says although the animals would be worth thousands of dollars, they would be difficult to sell except on the black market.
“We’re presuming they were taken by an enthusiast.”
The park was last broken into in 2010. Security will again be beefed up as a result of this latest theft.
Warkworth Police Station officer-in-charge Sgt Dan McDermott says enquiries into the burglary are ongoing.
“We are concerned that these animals aren’t getting the appropriate care and there may be attempts to sell them on the black market. The best thing anyone involved can do is return the animals immediately to the reptile park.”
Anyone with information can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. The reference file number is 240320/8108.
