A couple of weeks ago, the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) and the Phoenix Zoo reached a milestone in their goal to restore the gartersnake population with the release of 21 narrow-headed gartersnakes into the wild.
While the Phoenix Zoo’s breeding program is celebrating the 100th gartersnake released, the total number of snakes released is up to 118, according to Ruth Allard, the Zoo’s senior vice president for conservation science, learning and engagement.
“This is much more than a milestone— it highlights the dedication to establishing a thriving breeding program for this finicky species,” Mason Ryan, AZGFD’s species of greatest conservation need projects coordinator, said in a news release. “Because of the Department’s partnership with the Phoenix Zoo, we have the ability to put more snakes on the landscape to augment low density populations and reestablish populations that have disappeared.”…