Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Aside from "because there aren't any more," can anyone tell me why they are no longer found on the Hog Islands? Was it excessive collection and exportation, competition, predation, or what? It saddens me that they are no longer found in the wild.
My next question is why can they not be restored to their natural habitat? There are certainly enough people breeding pure lines that this could be done. Is it a question of politics, red tape, or what?
It seems silly to me that they are so plentiful in private collections in the US, but they are no longer found in their natural environment.
Can anyone shed any light on this for me?

Thanks,
Randy
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"I am a cop, and you will respect my authoritae!"-Cartman

First off, Reptiles magazine ran a great Island boa article a while back, see if you can track that down. Outside of that, and I'm by far an authority on Island boas,(Try people like Gus Rentfro for GREAT info), I believe it all boils down to an overcollecting craze at one point in time. As far as re-releasing animals into the wild, that is rarely done, and many times when it is done, it's simply not successful. Disease and a lacking immune system are two things I would think are of great concern. Can captive bred animals survive in the wild? An example I guess would be lab mice, which are said to have very poor immune systems outside of the lab setting having lived in such sterile environments. Could the wild animals inhabiting the island handle disease brought in by captive animals? Of course, politics also play a role in releasing animals. Well, hope this little bit of info helps, but like I mentioned above, Gus is one guy that comes to mind for in-depth information as well as a few others. Take care!

Paul

I read a while back that Hog islands became extincted due to the introduction of dogs onto the island. I am not sure how valid this is but may be one of the contributing factors. If you find anthing out please let us know.

Thanks,
Steve & Rose
srsnakes

excessive exports in the ninetys,destruction of the habitats and snakes gettin killed by natives are the facts,why you nearly shurely will not find any hogs on cayo de los cochinos.