Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm a lurker here, and have been for several years. Over that time I've read once or twice a pretty complex argument for why people shouldn't release their captive bred or long term capitive snakes into the wild. I've been trying to remember that argument recently, but get the feeling I'm missing something. What I remember are three main points -

1. They can ad unfit genes/genes that are not fit for that area to the gene pool.

2. Captives can carry pathogens that wild snakes don't, and releasing can cause an epidemic in the local snake pop.

3. Released snakes never settle, they just keep searching for something familiar until they die, or something like that.

Am I missing something? And did I even get these three points right?

Thanks.

Those are the points.

Story for you, though not a CB snake - we relocated a few Cal kings from a field that was going to be built on to another location. One king had a distinct pattern on its head. This was late Spring one year.

The next Spring, my friend finds the distinctly-patterned-head king about 30 yards from the release point. The snake was on the move, heading across the street to another field. Unbelievable find. He was very healthy looking, and he no doubt over-wintered in the area of his release.

Obviously he was looking for somewhere else to go. Question is, was it because he was relocated?
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Mark

Males often roam in search of females.
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3.6 L. getula californiae
1.1 L. getula nigrita
1.0 Pantherophis guttatus guttatus
1.0 Thamnophis sirtalis fitchi
1.0 Boa constrictor constrictor (suriname, fostering/rescue)
3.3 Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata

One of the biggest concerns is pathogens.
A major cause of decline of amphibians is a fungus that appears to be native to South Africa. The African frogs either have a resistance to it or high tolerance, but the fungus is now worldwide devestating populations that have no resistance to it.

They didn't identify the fungus until the damage had been done, releasing a captive animal always has that risk.

Another risk is that the animal almost always dies when released.

The gene thing isn't that big of an issue unless done en masse - natural selection will continue to work. Now if say you introduced thousands of Okeetee corns in some of the small isolated Kentucky corn populations, you might screw things up - but one or two, any genes it has will get diluted if it manages to pass them on.

But the pathogens is a big one.

Some boas are immune to IBD. What would happen if IBD got into our Coastal Rosy Boa population?
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3.6 L. getula californiae
1.1 L. getula nigrita
1.0 Pantherophis guttatus guttatus
1.0 Thamnophis sirtalis fitchi
1.0 Boa constrictor constrictor (suriname, fostering/rescue)
3.3 Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata

Point 4, it is illegal in most if not all states, that would be a biggy in my book.
Todd Hughes

Except MO. When asking about a permitt to own more than 5 native snakes I asked the question "well what if one of my snakes reproduces and I still haven't recieved my permitt?" The reply was remarkably ignorant.... "Well just release them...."
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.1 Snow Corn "Hope"
1. Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Chunk" (Goonies)
.1 Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Peaches"
.1 MO Locale Black Ratsnake "Molly" (Flogging Molly)

"Have you ever tried simply turning off the T.V., sitting down with your kids... and hitting them?"