Tracy Menzies had been struggling with slugs invading her backyard garden and devouring her harvest, but this year, the strawberries in her garden flourished beautifully. The reason behind the decline in slug population was the presence of European wall lizards, an invasive species rapidly spreading and consuming various pests like insects, spiders, and slugs.
Living near the Gorge Waterway in Saanich, Menzies observed a surge in the number of wall lizards in her yard over the past few months, actively preying on slugs. These lizards, mostly small in size, have been spotted in different areas, even growing up to eight to ten inches in North Saanich, as mentioned by Menzies, who works as a real estate agent.
Gavin Hanke, the curator of vertebrate zoology at the Royal B.C. Museum, estimated the population of European wall lizards in British Columbia to be around 800,000 to a million, primarily concentrated on Vancouver Island and spreading as far as Campbell River, located 220 kilometers north of Victoria. Hanke expressed concerns about the environmental impact of the lizards’ rapid proliferation, affecting invertebrate populations and posing a threat to native species like baby garter snakes.
Natives to Italy, these wall lizards were first introduced to B.C. intentionally in 1970 when 12 lizards were released after the closure of a roadside zoo in Central Saanich. The lizards found a conducive environment on Southern Vancouver Island due to its climate, aiding their rapid reproduction. Their spread, at a rate of about 100 meters annually, is facilitated by hitchhiking on vehicles, firewood, and building materials, leading to their expansion.
While the wall lizards have shown some benefits by controlling pests like slugs, concerns remain about their unchecked spread. Hanke suggested maintaining a plain, well-manicured garden to deter the lizards, emphasizing the importance of a collective effort in controlling their population. However, it is believed to be too late to eradicate the lizards entirely, emphasizing the need for responsible actions to prevent further spread and ecological disruptions caused by human activities.
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