I'll be the first to agree with Joe. There is no justification for releasing captive bred snakes into the wild population. It does nothing for positive for it. The practice may be well intended, but it is not in the best interests of the local wild population and more likely can result in far more harm than good. A case in point is the present jeopardy of wild Mojave desert tortoises that contracted disease from captive releases which in turn decimated many local populations of the species. I think that anyone who truly cares about Lampropeltis alterna in the wild would heed this lesson. There is no reason to put wild animals at risk from disease that could cause potential widespread die-offs. I would ask that anyone conducting this practice to stop it now. If there are excess captive snakes that cannot be placed, they should be euthanized humanely. It's better for the individual and most importantly, the wild population.

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