The most amazing and unusual of the crocodilians, the Gharial, is getting a new chance at life at the Crocodile Breeding Centre at Kasara.

The farm in Chitwan National Park, some 82 km (51 miles) southwest of Kathmandu, was opened in 1978 by the government with support from the Frankfurt Zoological Society in an effort to save the rapidly dwindling gharial, which is also found in neighboring India.

Six decades ago, gharials -- known for their long, slim snouts and great length, with some growing up to 7 meters (23 ft) long -- were numerous in Nepal. There were 235 in the Narayani-Rapti River, which flows near the park, alone.

But their numbers fell rapidly as they were killed for their skins, used to make purses, shoes and belts. Their eggs have been stolen for food or as a remedy for tuberculosis.

In addition, their riverside habitat has been lost to agriculture and water-control projects, with fishing nets also taking a toll.
As a result, their population is now confined to only a small area of Nepal's major rivers. A national census last year found only 102, numbers at which survival in the wild becomes difficult without help -- but that was still up from 50 in 1970, Sharma said.

The centre has three male and 12 female gharials for breeding. Workers also collect eggs from the wild before the onset of the annual floods in July, raise hatchlings in captivity and then release them into the wild.

"If it were not for this, you and I would not be able to see them now. They would have been extinct 15 to 20 years ago," Sharma said.

In a partnership between UK and Indian scientists, a new caecilian was discovered -- by pure accident!

The creature - about 168mm in length and pink in colour - belongs to an enigmatic, limbless group of amphibians known as the caecilians.

Ramachandran Kotharambath, lead author of the report, told the BBC Tamil Service that the animal was identified as a new species following extensive comparisons with other, similar examples from this amphibian group.

According to the researchers, specimens of the novel caecilian - named Gegeneophis primus - were collected during field works in two consecutive monsoons, first in October 2010 and then in August 2011.

They were discovered at a valley on a plantation in the Wynad district of Kerala.

The new finding was made as part of a longstanding research collaboration between the department of zoology at the University of Kerala and London's Natural History Museum. The Central University at Kasargod in Kerala also contributed to of the discovery.

The Anhui Yangtze Alligator Nature Reserve working is on its eighth release of the endangered Chinese alligator:

So far, the nature reserve has succeeded in releasing 45 Chinese alligators into the wild, and the six new members will bring the total to 51, sources with the reserve said.

"The experiments were successful, as the released alligators began laying eggs in 2008 and the alligators that hatched in the wild are in good conditions," said Wang Chaolin, deputy director of the nature reserve.

Wang said researchers need to choose young and healthy alligators so they will survive harsh natural conditions. The alligators will also undergo DNA testing before being released to avoid in-breeding.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) today announced a 90-day finding on a petition to list the eastern diamondback rattlesnake as threatened and designate critical habitat for the species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

This finding stems from a petition submitted last summer by the Center for Biological Diversity, the Coastal Plains Institute Inc., Protecting all Living Species, and One More Generation. The decision, known as a 90-day finding finds that the petition presents substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that listing the eastern diamondback rattlesnake may be warranted. The Service will undertake a more comprehensive review of the snake's status throughout the species’ range to determine whether listing is warranted under the ESA.

Eastern diamondbacks can grow to a length of about eight feet and are the largest rattlesnakes in the world. The eastern diamondback historically ranged along the coastal lowlands of the southeastern United States from North Carolina to eastern Louisiana, including all of Florida and its Keys. Although once abundant in longleaf pine ecosystems across the southeastern United States, its population size and range has declined. Nearly all of the old growth longleaf pine savannas are gone, and the eastern diamondback survives wherever its native habitats still exist or where open-canopy forests and grasslands are similar to longleaf pine savannas.

The Service is asking for information from state and federal natural resource agencies and all interested parties regarding the eastern diamondback rattlesnake and its habitat. Based on the status review, the Service will make one of three possible determinations:

• Listing is not warranted, in which case no further action will be taken.
• Listing as threatened or endangered is warranted. In this case, the Service will publish a proposal to list, solicit independent scientific peer review of the proposal, seek input from the public, and consider the input before a final decision about listing the species is made. In general, there is a one-year period between the time a species is proposed for listing and the final decision.
• Listing is warranted but precluded by other, higher priority activities. This means the species is added to the federal list of candidate species, and the proposal to list is deferred while the Service works on listing proposals for other species that are at greater risk. A warranted but precluded finding requires subsequent annual reviews of the finding until such time as either a listing proposal is published, or a not warranted finding is made based on new information

Please note that submissions merely stating support for, or opposition to, the action under consideration without providing supporting information, although noted, will not be considered in making a determination. The ESA says that determinations as to whether any species is threatened or endangered must be made “solely on the basis of the best scientific and commercial data available.”

Written comments regarding the proposal may be submitted by one of the following methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov/. Follow the instructions for submitting comments to Docket No. [FWS–R4–ES–2012–0006].
• U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. [FWS–R4–ES–2012–0006]; Division of Policy and Directives Management; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, MS 2042-PDM; Arlington, VA 22203.

When it comes to reptiles and amphibians and the law, there is no shortage of opinions, but very little in the way of consensus or understanding among diverse groups of stakeholders.

The First Annual Reptile and Amphibian Law Symposium, scheduled to take place in Houston, Tex., on Sept. 28-30, will bring together herp keepers, biologists, legislators, school teachers, researchers, zoo keepers, breeders, academicians, and regulators for a series of panels, workshops, breakout sessions and talks with the goal of engaging all parties in dicussion of changes and issues with current and proposed reptile and amphibian laws and regulations at the local, state, federal, and international levels.

This event is being organized by the National Reptile and Amphibian Advisory Council (NRAAC), with the assistance of the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council and the East Texas Herpetological Society.

The Symposium is free, and open to anyone with an interest in the subject of laws and regulations pertaining to reptiles and amphibians.

Topics will include:

Impact of laws on conservation and habitat preservation

Impact of laws on reptile keeping and breeding

CITES, the Lacey Act, and other national and international laws and regulations

Ethics and obligations of reptile keepers

How laws and regulations affect researchers and educators

And more...

The United States may propose amendments to the CITES Appendices for consideration at the sixteenth regular meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES (CoP16), tentatively scheduled to be held in Thailand, March 3–15, 2013.

With the published notice, USFWS describes proposed amendments to the CITES Appendices (species proposals) that the United States might submit for consideration at CoP16 and invites your comments and information on these proposals.

The United States as yet is still undecided on whether to submit proposals for CoP16 for the following taxa. In some cases, they have not completed consultations with relevant range countries and in others they expect meetings to occur in the immediate future, at which participants will generate important recommendations, trade analyses, or biological information on the taxon in question.

Reptile Changes Under Consideration;

11. Tokay gecko (Gekko gecko) — Inclusion in Appendix II
12. Burmese starred tortoise (Geochelone platynota) — Transfer from Appendix II to Appendix I
13. Crowned river turtle (Hardella thurjii) — Inclusion in Appendix II
14. Burmese peacock softshell turtle (Nilssonia formosa) — Inclusion in Appendix II
15. Roti Island snake-necked turtle (Chelodina mccordi) —Transfer from Appendix II to Appendix I
16. Yellow-margined box turtle (Cuora flavomarginata) — Transfer from Appendix IIto Appendix I
17. McCord’s box turtle (Cuora mccordi) — Transfer from Appendix II to Appendix I
18. Chinese three-striped box turtle (Cuora trifasciata) — Transfer from Appendix II toAppendix I
19. Big-headed turtle (Platysternon megacephalum) — Transfer from Appendix II toAppendix I
20. Painted terrapin (Batagur borneoensis) — Transfer from Appendix II to Appendix I
21. Burmese roofed turtle (Batagur trivittata) —Transfer from Appendix II to Appendix I
22. Map turtles (Graptemys spp.) — Inclusion in Appendix II and three species in Appendix I
23. Blanding’s turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) — Inclusion in Appendix I or Appendix II
24. Spotted turtle (Clemmys guttata) — Inclusion in Appendix I or Appendix II
25. Alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) — Inclusion in Appendix II
26. Diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) — Inclusion in Appendix II

To review the entire proposal please go to http://www.fws.gov/international/CITES/CoP16/3rdFederalRegisterNoticeWeb.pdf

You may submit comments pertaining to species proposals for consideration at CoP16 by one of the following methods:

Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments on Docket No. FWS–R9–IA–2011–0087.
U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS–R9–IA–2011– 0087; Division of Policy and Directives Management; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, MS 2042–PDM; Arlington, VA 22203.