Upon discovering a wild-born Eastern indigo snake in Alabama, United States, conservationists knew that their intensive program to reintroduce the elusive reptile to its native environment was successful.
“The snake found yesterday indicates the project is resulting in some thriving and reproducing indigos, just what we wanted!” says the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division. “Reintroducing a species to its native range is a daunting task, and we celebrate each step of its success!”
According to the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Eastern indigo snake — the largest snake native to America — went extinct in the 1950s due to habitat loss. Since the species plays a crucial role in a well-balanced ecosystem as the “apex predator”, a reintroduction program was set up in 2006. Wild-captured individuals from Georgia were bred in captivity and in 2010, the first snakes were released in the Conecuh National Forest. The specimen found in 2020 was undoubtedly wild-born since it was smaller and didn’t have a passive integrated transponder tag to follow its progress. The goal is to reintroduce some 300 individuals in Alabama to create a healthy and viable population.
