AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION 06 April 07 Captive-bred pythons slither free in Australian first
Scientists are preparing to release snakes bred in captivity into the wild, for the first time in Australia.
The woma pythons, which are native to the Simpson Desert and Moomba region in South Australia, have been bred at Adelaide Zoo.
The snakes have been declining in the wild, with scientists believing that predation by foxes or feral cats could be to blame.
Dr Greg Johnston from the Adelaide Zoo says 10 of the snakes will be released into a fenced reserve at Roxby Downs in the next fortnight as part of the Arid Recovery Program.
"[The reserve] is a 90-square-kilometre exclosure from which foxes, cats and rabbits have been removed," he said.
"That's why we hope that the snakes will do well, because those species have changed the environment in central Australia."
Captive-bred pythons slither free in Australian first