Baby western swamp tortoises set for release into wild (Australia) – via Herp Digest

By Loukas Fountain, ABC.net.au/news, 7/10/17 

Three of Australia's rarest reptiles have been given a health check as they prepare to move from captivity into the wild.

Adelaide Zoo is one of just two zoos worldwide to house and breed the western swamp tortoise.

The zoo is celebrating a successful breeding season, which saw four baby tortoises hatching, each the size of a coin.

Native to Western Australia, in the mid-1980s it was estimated there were fewer than 50 tortoises left in the wild.

They now only live in the wild in two small habitats in the Swan Valley, north-east of Perth.

Zoos SA received its first western swamp tortoises as part of an agreement with Perth Zoo in 2003, but breeding did not start for several years due to issues with incubation.

Since 2012, Zoos SA has successfully bred and raised 16 of the reptiles, with nine already making the journey back to WA to be released into the wild.

The reptile was thought to have been extinct for more than 100 years until a random discovery in 1953.

"It really was a chance discovery. A kid took one into a country fair, it was identified as a swamp tortoise and things have progressed from there," Zoos SA reptile keeper John Della said.

Perth Zoo has since bred more than 800 of the tortoises and released 600 into four separate nature reserves.

Adelaide Zoo has eight adult breeding tortoises, all from Perth Zoo, and three were born last year.

Those three are being prepared to move back to Perth in September, but were woken from a six month hibernation period on Monday to be cleaned, weighed and returned to a pond to gain weight ahead of their move.

"Most tortoises would hibernate over winter in the cooler months," Mr Della said.

"These guys need to aestivate over summer because that's when their ponds dry out and they've got no water, so they'll find some nice leaf litter to bury themselves in and basically sleep there until the rains come.

"Then they go back to their ponds, their food sources come back and they can start breeding.”

It takes about three years for keepers to determine the gender of each tortoise and the reptiles will not breed until they are aged about seven.

Later this month, Perth Zoo will send another breeding pair to Adelaide to be housed at Monarto Zoo, near Murray Bridge.

Ratty returns: hundreds of water voles released in UK's biggest reintroduction

Almost 700 of the endangered rodents, immortalised in Wind in the Willows, will be released in Northumberland – and it’s all thanks really to the otter

Fiona Harvey Environment correspondent

Thursday 15 June 2017 06.30 BST 

The biggest reintroduction of water voles in the UK began this week, with 325 voles released into Kielder Forest in Northumberland, and 350 more to follow later in the summer.

Water voles hold a special place in Britain’s natural history, providing the model for Ratty, the much-loved character in The Wind in the Willows. But the species has suffered catastrophic declines over several decades, driven by loss of habitat, the pollution of waterways, increased urbanisation, and rampant populations of American mink, originally farmed for their fur but which escaped into the wild and proved a voracious predator on the native vole.

More than 90% of the water vole population across the UK has died out, making it the country’s fastest declining land mammal.

Kielder Forest, more than 650 sq km in extent, was once a stronghold of the water vole, but none have been seen there in more than two decades, owing to the prevalence of mink.

By a curious quirk of conservation, “Ratty” owes the reintroduction in the area to the revival of another water vole predator: the otter. Burgeoning otter populations in Kielder, generations of which have been carefully nurtured through conservation efforts, have displaced the rival mink, which tends not to share hunting grounds with otters.

The reintroduction in Kielder Water and Forest Park has only taken place following comprehensive surveys for mink carried out since 2013. The Kielder Water Vole Partnership said it was confident the mink had permanently gone, making the habitat safe. As well as the otter, other native predators such as foxes, stoats, weasels and owls can all be found at Kielder, but these predations are likely to be kept in natural balance as the voles increase their range.

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Zolushka, (the russian translation for Cinderella), the tiger, rescued and released back into the wild

Date:

January 21, 2015

Source:

Wildlife Conservation Society

Summary:

The Russian Far East is the setting for a Cinderella story. In this case, Cinderella is a tiger. An orphaned, starved, frost-bitten cub was rescued in the winter of 2012, rehabilitated, released, and now is possibly mating and re-colonizing former tiger territory, according to new research.

Continued ...

Rare albino echidna gets new home in Australia

A rare albino echidna has been released after being rescued on the outskirts of Canberra, Australia.

'Casper' was found by the side of a busy road two weeks ago, and has been recuperating with carers since.

His new home is Tidbinbilla, a protected nature reserve away from traffic, where it is hoped he will find a mate.

Echidnas are egg-laying mammals which use their long noses and tongues to eat ants and termites.

Brett McNamara, Australian Capital Territory Parks and Conservation Ranger, explains the rare find.

Watch video at:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19992133