Going back to what I said before about habitat, in order to reintroduce a species, you have to have the habitat for it. Normally, there isn't any pressure to reintroduce species if there is already habitat which is occupied by said species.

There are times when we might want to recreate some habitat..restore habitat to as close to the original as we can. Normally this isn't done by lay people, but rather by conservation biologists. I know several places here in AZ where riparian habitat has been restored by planting of trees, renewing the flow of water, clearing the debris left by civilization, etc. There are places in Michigan along the Great Lakes where lakeside marshes and prairies are being repaired and restored as much as possible. In these places it might be possible to add some species of herps. I would say any release of animals to inhabit a restored area would probably be done by donations from the nearest possible locale of that species though, and not likely from hobbyists.

I do think it might be possible for a hobbyist to help a conservation project, just never heard of it ever happening. I don't think what we do in the hobby has anything to do with adding individuals to the wild. As a matter of fact, I believe most states have regulations stating that returning animals to the wild after a short time is not a good idea and not permitted.

Most folks know that releasing captive specimens into the wild is not good, because the specimens won't likely survive. A fireman who released a gila monster on my property here told me he knew that releasing them in the desert wasn't a good idea, and that it would have a lot better chance surviving on my property. I also know that rattlers don't relocate well. It doesn't help to relocate them, as they spend all their time trying to get back to their original habiat.

PS: I once helped in a conservation effort where a Dept of Natural Resources officer along with two hobbyists, including myself, rounded up as many Kirtland's water snakes as possible from a location about to be developed and introduced them to an area in which they had been extirpated in another state. The habitat had been restored and was considered prime for the species. None of the thirty-plus specimens were ever seen again and were assumed to have died the first winter.

TC


>>"Show me just one single instance of non-scientist hobbyists
successfully reintroducing an endangered or threatened species back into the wild to save them from extinction, and I'll save the baby."
>>

>>Whether it's been done doesn't matter when it hasn't even been attempted. Hobbyists have been successful in all other areas pertaining to the science of herps. Hobbyists have achieved notable, often exceptional success in everything from captive maintainance and breeding, natural history studies, taxonomic studies and have been allowed to assist on many levels in other conservation projects. There is no reason whatsoever to think hobbyists could not be an assest to a successful reintroduction program. The simple fact is we are not allowed to be involved.


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Conserving reptiles by helping to protect habitat...
www.ratsnakehaven.com
www.scenicsantaritas.org

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