Programme Coordinator – Sergey Ryabov, Moscow Zoo, Russia
Most snake species included in the Red Books of the countries of Northern Eurasia are rare; their population sizes are small, with annual downward trends. Species assessments of the Red Books include recommendations on the development of captive breeding methods to ensure preservation of genetic materials of rare species through establishing their ex situ populations and, if necessary, further reintroduction of captive bred animals into their natural habitats. Taxonomic status of some species requires a revision, which may result in the description of new subspecies.
Subjects of the programme may include, among others, the following species: the Japanese forest ratsnake Euprepiophis conspicillatus, the Aesculapian snake Zamenis longissimus, the leopard snake Zamenis situla, the blotched rat snake Elaphe sauromates, the Transcaucasian ratsnake Zamenis hohenackeri, the Caspian whipsnake Dolichophis caspius, the slender whip snake Platyceps najadum, the slender racer Orientocoluber spinalis, the red-banded snake Dinodon rufozonatum, the javelin sand boa Eryx jaculus, the dwarf sand boa Eryx miliaris, the Japanese striped snake Elaphe quadrivirgata, the Japanese rat snake Elaphe climacophora, the European cat snake Telescopus fallax, Rhynchocalamus sp., the Iranian snake Pseudocyclophis persicus, the Persian ratsnake Elaphe persica, the Indian gamma snake Boiga trigonata, and the smooth snake Coronella austriaca.
The creation of breeding centres for rare species of snakes of Northern Eurasia at EARAZA zoos will contribute to the ex situ conservation of rare and endangered species of non-venomous snakes and consolidate efforts of herpetologists from zoos and research institutes in studying the biology and taxonomy of non-venomous snakes.
Goals of the programme:
1. To create founder breeding groups of rare species of non-venomous snakes of the fauna of Northern Eurasia, including species listed in the national and regional Red Books, especially endangered species. To select and develop methods of acclimatization of the snakes to artificial conditions and breeding stimulation techniques (mimicking annual life cycles, stimulation of mating, studying duration of copulation, selection of optimal egg incubation regimes, developing methods of neonate rearing, etc.) and at a later stage, methods of adaptation of captive bred snakes to natural environment.
2. To establish self-reproducing populations of most species in laboratory conditions, primarily, for the conservation of the gene pools and possible reintroduction of snakes into the wild.
3. To clarify the taxonomic status of various populations of certain species, such as the Japanese rat snake, the Japanese forest ratsnake, the blotched rat snake and the Aesculapian snake, with a possible description of new subspecies.
Objectives and methods
1) As a start of the work with snake species included in the Red Book of the Russian Federation and neighbouring countries, establishing founder groups of the snakes of certain species that originate from other countries where they are not so rare, such as the Aesculapian snake and the leopard snake from Southern Europe, the Japanese forest ratsnake from Japan, the red-banded snake from China, etc.;
2) Developing methods of acclimatization, housing, feeding, breeding, and rearing offspring on the model of the established founder groups of snakes originating from the countries where these snakes are not rare;
3) If the ex situ husbandry of the snakes of selected species is successful, obtaining licenses for the capture of the wild adult snakes for establishing ex situ populations of the native species, based on the use of developed techniques;
4) Holding expeditions to habitats of rare snake species (Crimea, Caucasus, Far East, Kunashir Island, etc.) in accordance with the obtained licenses to catch snakes for establishing founder groups;
5) Adaptation of wild caught snakes to laboratory conditions, individual selection of food for each snake for the most successful acclimatization;
6) Based on the developed methods, establishing in situ population for each species;
7) Involvement of other EARAZA zoos in the programme, transfer of some of the captive bred individuals to the programme participants and instructing the zoos about husbandry methods (with preliminary verification of the ability of each zoo to provide the appropriate husbandry conditions);
8) Establishing multiple ex situ snake populations at EARAZA zoos, with constant advisory assistance and supervision from the coordinator and species committees;
9) Using molecular and morphological methods to clarify the taxonomic statuses of the populations of some species of Coluber snakes;
10) Drafting and publication of papers about all stages of the conservation and research work under the programme;
11) Active promotion of the work under the programme among EARAZA members; organizing temporary public exhibitions with the demonstration of interesting results of the work under the programme.