by Mongoose » Sat Aug 15, 2009 6:19 pm
Dazz - our indigenous herpetofauna populations over all are pretty good. There are some species that are threatened due to habitat loss and amphibians due to disease and polutants etc. May I ask what is your reason to "re-populate" herpetofauna?
This infact can be very detremental to populations, especially if you introduce a foreign disease to the area. I have read elsewear that you have been releasing house snakes back in to the wild. With recent phylogenetics, species can be proved using DNA, and if your house snakes are not from that area, you may be introducing a exotic species to the area.
Over-populating an area is just as dangerous - especially with pythons. Young pythons have a high dispersal rate until they find a safe spot - they are very fussy and during this time I can guarantee a high death rate. With things like house snakes etc, you would also have to produce high numbers to have a postive growth affect on the population, and I'm pretty sure that the small % that you release does not affect the numbers at all.
Kirsten Wimberger was trying to succesfully re-introduce rehabilitated Leopard tortoises back in to the wild and only 2 survived - Thus making the release a fail. It's not to say that it is not possible, they need just find different methods.
The best things come to those who flip rocks.