EXOTICS NEWS

The latest from the world of exotic pet keeping

Zoo Update

Private Reptile-Keeper Breeds

Caiman: Keeper Jordan Woodhead from Scarborough successfully hatched two spectacled caimans at home, adding to his collection of more than 50 species of reptile – six of them are crocodilian species. As well as looking after his own reptiles Jordan is an Aquarist at Scarborough Sealife Centre, where he has worked for six years. He was granted his dangerous wild animal licence when he turned 18, and his aim is to expand and build a “reptile zoo”. He said “I am currently going through the process to attain a full zoo licence. I have managed to acquire a small piece of land and have started building enclosures. Covid delayed my plans slightly, but I’m still working away every day to get the zoo built. I’m also very fortunate that I have a growing team of volunteers who dedicate their time to looking after the animals and who are helping to build the zoo.”

Conservation

Last Saint Lucia Parrot at Jersey Zoo. The last Saint Lucia parrot at the zoo has died aged 45. The male bird, called “Gabriel”, arrived as a chick in March 1976 as part of an international breeding programme to help save this rare parrot. In 1975 there were estimated to be only 100 birds left in the wild. Jersey Zoo took on nine birds to start captive-breeding and the first chick was hand-reared at Jersey Zoo in 1983. In 1989 a captivebred pair were sent from Jersey back to Saint Lucia. By 2009 it was estimated that the wild population had grown to between 1,750 and 2,250 birds. Gabriel had sired eight chicks in his time at Jersey, greatly contributing to the conservation of this rare bird.

Most Vulnerable US Reptile

The tiny Florida reef gecko (Sphaerodactylus notatus notatus) is regarded as the most vulnerable reptile to climatic change, habitat destruction and rising sea levels in America according to biologists at the University of Miami. It is believed to be a sub-species of the very similar brown-speckled sphaero (S.notatus) a member of the dwarf gecko family found in the Bahamas, Cuba and the southernmost part of Florida, including Miami and the Florida Keys. It is the only native gecko in the eastern United States and one of the few native reptiles in Florida, as many of the other reptile species there are invasive foreign species. But little is known about this species as a whole, at just 5cm (2 inches) from nose to tail, and with fragile skin, the Florida reef gecko is a very delicate species, even handling them can be very risky. Therefore to study them closely researchers have been collecting them in small plastic vials.

This species lays one massive egg that can weigh up to a third of its body weight. While this implies a slow reproductive process, the geckos also occur in high densities, making for a complicated assessment of how well populations may be capable of rebounding after catastrophic events like a hurricane. The Florida reef gecko may be a master at surviving periodic flooding, according to researchers as it displays habitat versatility and its eggs are quite salt-tolerant. The geckos have also been found taking refuge in trees and urban structures, such as buildings. It is suggested that a sea level rise of 2.2 meters (7.2 feet), based on a 2015 forecast study looking at carbon emissions and energy infrastructure, would put 85% of the gecko’s suitable habitat underwater. This finding may help inform the IUCN Red List database’s regional population information, where the conservation status of the species across its entire range is ranked as least concern. By comparing its vulnerability with that of other at-risk reptiles and amphibians in the U.S., the authors concluded it’s the most vulnerable reptile in

Turtle Release

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), in collaboration with the Fisheries Administration (FiA) at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, have recently released 148 Cantor’s Giant Softshell Turtle hatchlings, aged between one and three weeks into the Mekong River stretching along Sambour district of Kratie province. WCS’ conservation of Critically Endangered Cantor’s Giant Softshell Turtle is funded by the European Union (EU)- Partners against Wildlife Crime, Margaret

A. Cargill Philanthropy (MACP), USAID- Greening Prey Lang, and Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA).

Invasive Hippos

In 1993 the infamous Pablo Escobar was killed by the authorities after his luxury estate Hacienda Napoles was seized north-west of the capitol Bogata. The cocaine kingpin was one of the world`s richest men had established a private zoo. A small group of hippos (1.3) were imported many years ago for his zoo and they had bred very well. Whilst most of the other animals were relocated to other zoos in South America, the hippos were left as they were the nation to sea level rise due to its dependence on low-lying coastal habitats. The research team surveyed 58 sites from Miami to the Florida Keys, including sites where the geckos were documented in the past and those with suitable habitat. They found geckos at just 41% of the sites in total, and discovered the geckos are absent from nine historical sites, indicating a population decline over the past century. logistically difficult to move. It was thought they would just die off, but they continued to flourish. It is now estimated that there are between 80-120 hippos living feral in Colombia`s waterways, where they are becoming a huge invasive problem. They are thought to be the largest herd outside of Africa. Numbers are projected to only get bigger, with estimates that the herd will reach over 1,400 specimens by 2034 without a cull. Incredibly all of them descended from the original group of one male and three females. Observers suggest that at least 30 animals need to be culled or castrated every year to stop this dramatic increase. They do not have natural predators in South America, meaning they can reproduce much more easily. The weather also helps: in Africa the population is in part controlled by droughts that do not take place in Colombia. Indeed, conditions in their South American home seem so ideal for the hippos that studies show they start reproducing at an earlier age than normal. Hippos are also obviously dangerous, in 2016 it was reported that their attacks kill at least 500 people a year in Africa. There have been no fatalities in Colombia, but the local media reported that a farm worker was seriously injured by a hippo in a town near Hacienda Napoles. Still, there was a massive public outcry when Colombian Army soldiers gunned down the hippo called “Pepe” in 2009, after it was deemed a threat to local communities. It was enough to lead authorities to make hippos legally protected, which is an obstacle to any plans to cull them. One alternative is to castrate all the males and eventually the population should die out in time, although hippos are long-lived so that will take some time. Castration costs were $50,000 (£36,000) for only four animals that underwent sterilisation between 2011 and 2019, and it is a difficult and risky procedure. So the situation is currently in stalemate.

Starving Manatees?

In the state of Florida more manatees have died this year than in the whole of last year. A total of 649 Florida manatees have died already in 2021