The Fort Worth Zoo in Fort Worth, Texas, released 55 Louisiana pine snakes hatched and raised at the Zoo in the Kisatchie National Forest. The Louisiana pine snake is one of the rarest species of snakes in North America, and the Fort Worth Zoo is one of only four breeding centers for this species. This was the Zoo’s seventh annual release and the most snakes released in one year (two of the Zoo’s partners, Ellen Trout Zoo in Lufkin, Texas, and Memphis Zoo in Memphis, Tenn., also released snakes.
The Fort Worth Zoo participates in a breeding program that maintains a healthy, diverse population of the species. The Zoo provides hatchlings for release back into its native habitat to establish a self-sustaining population. The hatchlings are released into the Kisatchie National Forest in a restored and maintained area within its historic range where the species has long been extirpated.
More than 90 percent of the snake’s historic habitat is gone, making it one of the most endangered snakes in North America. The population is threatened by logging and wood harvesting in its forest habitat.
Photo Credit: © Fort Worth Zoo
Edited by Jessica Sansarran, the communications coordinator at AZA.
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