Snakes alive - if only he'd been seeing double

CAPTURING the Holy Grail of Australian reptiles turned out to be something of an anti-climax for Gavin Bedford.

The Northern Territory herpetologist had spent almost a decade trying to get permission to collect and breed the elegant Oenpelli python, one of the world's rarest snakes and the only legally unobtainable python species.

He had spent more than 1100 hours searching for it, dropped by helicopter into remote and rugged sandstone country near the East Alligator River in Arnhem Land.

In the end, he stumbled upon one of the elusive serpents, which turn a shimmery silver at night-time, lying placidly on the ground.

''I walked past it to start with, and something registered in my brain that it wasn't right. And there it was, stretched out like a big stick,'' Dr Bedford said. His euphoria lasted a few minutes, before it dawned on him that finding a second one could take just as long.

But the python expert is determined to breed the vulnerable species, which is sacred to some Aboriginal people, in a bid to help preserve it.

Dr Bedford is the first person to get permission from the territory government to collect the snakes, in collaboration with traditional owners in western Arnhem Land, who will receive royalties for animals collected and sold.

Even though the elegant female, dubbed Ester, which was captured in March, is still on her own, 10 prospective hatchlings, at $15,000 a pair, have already been pre-sold to supporters of the project.

It is unlikely owners would ever keep the reptiles around the house, Dr Bedford said. ''Not many people would want a five-metre pet,'' he said.

Dr Bedford, who displays and sells reptiles in Darwin, said that the small mammals the pythons eat in the wild are in steep decline, putting pressure on the few snakes left.

Continue:  http://www.smh.com.au/environment/animals/snakes-alive--if-only-hed-been-seeing-double-20120619-20m61.html

First captive breeding of Critically Endangered turtle in Bangladesh

One of the world's rarest turtles breeds at Bhawal National Park

June 2012. In the field of biodiversity conservation, June 7th will go down the history books to record the first successful captive breeding of one of the rarest turtles in the world - Batagur baska (Northern River Terrapin). On this day the first of the eggs hatched and the hatchling emerged from the nest

Critically Endangered. 
Batagur baska is listed as Critically Endangered in the IUCN Redlist and also in the "Top Twenty Five Turtles in Trouble" published by Turtle Conservation Coalition in 2011. Extensive surveys were carried out to collect the breeding pairs, mostly in private collections, in the coastal areas of Bangladesh. So far 19 breeding adults have been collected and all are kept in the ponds at the Bhawal NP. Among the 19 individuals, 14 are males and the remaining five females. All five females nested this year. As of 8th June 2012, 25 hatchlings have hatched at Bhawal NP and several more are expected.

34 animals in captivity
Only 34 individuals are known in captivity in the world of which Bangladesh has 19 individuals, more than 50% of the known individuals worldwide, at the Bhawal National Park, 10 individuals at Sajnakhali, India, two individuals at the Madras Crocodile Bank, India and three individuals at the Vienna Zoo. This makes the status of this species even more critical than the tigers.

Carinam
"Project Batagur" is an initiative spearheaded by Dr S. M. A. Rashid, a leading wildlife biologist and Chief Executive, Centre for Advanced Research in Natural Resources & Management (CARINAM) to establish assurance colonies of this critically endangered species that started in 2009-10. CARINAM-a leading organization for research on wildlife and natural resources conservation in Bangladesh is managing this Project with support from the Bangladesh Forest Department, Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA)-USA and Vienna Zoo (VZ). The Forest Department provided permission to use the facilities at the Bhawal National Park for this Project. The cooperation extended by Dr Tapan K. Dey, Conservator of Forests, Wildlife & Nature Conservation Circle, Forest Department had been instrumental in starting this Project. TSA and VZ are providing financial support for this project. CARINAM is managing the daily activities of the Project.

Disappeared from India & Myanmar
Batagur baska was found in Myanmar and India but unfortunately the wild populations have been wiped out due to over exploitation and habitat degradation. It is assumed that Bangladesh may be the last stronghold for this species. Wild populations are yet to be located but some recent captures by the fishermen indicate their presence in nature. Funds are being raised to survey the possible locations for the presence of natural populations.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/Northern-River-Terrapin.html#cr

Rare Sumatran Rabbit Photographed

ScienceDaily (May 25, 2012) — Using camera traps, wildlife researchers including doctoral candidate Jennifer McCarthy and environmental conservation professor Todd Fuller of the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently captured photographs of one of the rarest animals on earth, the Sumatran striped rabbit. They say it may now be found only in two remote national parks on the Indonesian island.

Their pictures and other observations are reported in the current issue of Oryx, The International Journal of Conservation. The rare rabbit was first photographed in Kerinci Seblat National Park in 1998 and has rarely been seen since.

"Whether the rabbit does occur undetected in other parks is not certain, but the importance of protecting these two known strongholds of the species is critical," say McCarthy and colleagues. "As the human population of Sumatra rises, both parks are increasingly threatened by encroachment of villages and development of roads and infrastructure. It is important to focus conservation efforts in these areas to prevent a loss of what could be the final two populations of Sumatran striped rabbits."

Read on:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120525140149.htm