AssetID: 55705522
Headline: World-first release sees endangered snakes returned to wild
Caption: A world-first conservation effort has seen six endangered Broad-Headed Snakes released into the wild in Australia after being bred in captivity for the first time. Conservation group Aussie Ark led the project alongside University of Technology Sydney and Traditional Landowners of the Shoalhaven. The reptiles were released into rocky escarpments within the Sydney sandstone basin after a breeding program described as a global first for the species. The project began in October 2024 when conservationists secured 17 adult Broad-Headed Snakes to launch the world’s first wild-sourced breeding and rewilding program. Three more founder snakes were later added, with the reptiles housed in specialised terrariums at Aussie Ark’s Conservation Ark facility in Somersby, New South Wales. In March this year, the organisation celebrated the first-ever captive birth of the endangered species. Last month, remote-sensor cameras also captured what is believed to be the first documented live birth of a Broad-Headed Snake. A total of eight juvenile snakes have now been bred, with two retained for the insurance population and six released into the wild. Aussie Ark Managing Director Tim Faulkner described the release as “a crowning glory” for the organisation. “We have worked for many years, navigating so much red tape, to get to this moment,” Mr Faulkner said. “We now have a unique, multi-faceted, holistic program that’s a model for threatened species’ conservation Australia-wide, and I couldn’t be prouder of our team and our partners.” The Broad-Headed Snake is one of Australia’s rarest reptiles and is found only in the rocky escarpments around the Sydney sandstone basin. The species has suffered major declines due to illegal rock removal, habitat destruction and fragmentation. Professor Jonathan Webb, who has studied the species for 34 years, said the loss of rocky shelter sites had devastated populations. “The snake is nocturnal and shelters under rocks during the day,” Professor Webb explained. “They rely on rocks to thermoregulate and hide. Rocks also attract the snake’s prey, such as geckos. “But sadly, this habitat has been destroyed over the decades for landscaping and building. “Our pilot program to provide artificial rocks is vital to ensure the snakes’ survival. All six snakes were released today under artificial rocks. Without that intervention, they wouldn’t survive in the wild.” Onlookers reportedly clapped and cheered as one of the juvenile snakes slid into its new habitat during the release. Aussie Ark Chief Conservation Officer Hayley Shute said: “It was thrilling to watch the snakes zip off into the wild. “And to know this stunning escarpment now has six more endangered snakes living there, defying extinction.”
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