Considered one of the rarest snake species in North America, the Louisiana pine snake once slithered through longleaf pine ecosystems throughout Louisiana and eastern Texas, but poor land management and extensive logging have decimated their habitat and restricted the snakes to just a few fragments of their former range. As of about a month ago though, the population of Louisiana pine snakes in the Kisatchie National Forest grew by six when conservationists working on a breeding project released the latest batch of captive-raised 'snakelings'.
The release forms part of ongoing efforts to restore wild populations of the threatened snakes and involves the collaboration and expertise of a number of agencies and institutions including the US Forestry Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Memphis Zoo, Fort Worth Zoo, Ellen Trout Zoo, and Audubon Zoo.
A total of 120 Louisiana pine snakes have been hatched at Audubon Zoo since 1997 and 18 of them have gone on to be released into the wild while the others were tasked with contributing to the ongoing conservation breeding program. The recently released juveniles spent their first ten months in captivity at a reptile house at the Audubon Zoo where a dedicated team carefully raised them in preparation for life in the wild. Snake hatchlings are particularly susceptible to attacks from predators, hence the decision to wait several months until the snakes are better equipped to defend themselves from natural threats.
Before release, each snake underwent a health assessment and was weighed, measured and photographed to document their unique coloration and body markings for easier identification down the line. To help keep track of their movements and to measure the survival rate of the released snakes, each animal was fitted with a microchip. Should any of the newly released snakes go on to have hatchlings of their own, DNA extracted from shed skins should help determine parentage.
"It’s truly rewarding to see our herpetology team’s efforts and perseverance come to fruition and see animals hatched at our zoo released to the wild in a bid to save this irreplaceable species," Audubon Zoo’s Curator of Herpetology, Robert Mendyk was quoted as saying in a press release. "Programs like this are central to the goals and mission of accredited zoos and aquariums and illustrate the many ways in which they contribute to a unified approach to wildlife conservation."
An appropriate release site was selected by US Forestry Service biologists beforehand who searched for microhabitats that provide shelter in the form of pocket gopher burrows and stump holes to ensure that the released snakes are given the best chance at survival.
Listed as endangered by the IUCN and threatened by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Louisiana pine snake has vanished from much of its former home range. The snakes depend largely on burrows created by pocket gophers, whose survival and abundance, in turn, depends on the understory plants and soil of longleaf pine savannahs. Logging has been the biggest contributor to the decline of the species with commercial forestry operations wiping out the vast majority of old-growth stands of longleaf pines. Fire suppression has also played a role resulting in altered mid and understory forest cover. In some areas, vehicle strikes are responsible for impacting snake populations.
It is hoped that restoration efforts will help bring the species back from the brink. “Collaborations like this program are vital to the successful preservation of this species. Partnering with other zoos means we can increase the numbers of these endangered snakes released, share information and learn from each other as we expand this conservation effort,” according to Dr. Steven Whitfield, Director of Terrestrial and Wetlands Conservation at Audubon Nature Institute.
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