I noticed one of my cats looking very intently at something in a corner. When I got up to see what he was looking at, I found 2 that others were guarding an escapee that had managed to hide himself under the garden tools. I quickly picked it up to see whether it had been badly hurt yet but to my relief, it wasn't injured. If they are badly injured, I put them in the fridge and then freezer as this kills them quickly and painlessly, rather than leaving them to suffer and die slowly over a number of days.
Striped skinks (Trachylepis striata) are common around the house and my cats catch them regularly although the hunting doesn't seem to have diminished their numbers. They breed quite prolifically and give birth to live young and are unusual among lizards because wild skinks can become very tame. I hate it when the cats catch them. If you look over this one's left shoulder, you can see old scarring that shows that it has been caught before. It was still in a state of shock, that's why the front legs are folded backwards and I took the opportunity to take some pictures of the beautiful scales and little lizard hands (and elbows).
After a few minutes, it recovered and made its way under some rocks. They are extremely well-camouflaged creatures, as you can see here
