Kingsnake.com Blog - Conservation News

Reintroduction attempts give San Francisco Garter a second chance

(kingsnake.com) — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 22:02:00 -0600

Jamie McNellis, a Conservation Specialist at the San Francisco Zoo, holds four-month-old garter snakes kept in enclosures at the San Francisco Zoo in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)

The San Francisco Garter Snake is amazingly beautiful and also very endangered, but now with the help of the conservation program at the San Francisco Zoo, they may get a chance at re-establishing their population! The largest current population of the snake lives on the property of the San Francisco airport and is quite protected but there is another area in Pacifica that conservationist from the Zoo have been preparing to help headstart a population of 115 babies for a spring release with more planned for the future!

Those destined for Pacifica will be released into a habitat that has been upgraded for their arrival. The project included creating a new pond for snakes and red-legged frogs to thrive, and removing invasive Monterey Cypress and Monterey Pine trees.
“If we didn’t do any type of tree removal, those scrub and grassland areas would be converted into forested habitats,” said Fong. “For sun-loving reptiles like snakes, converting open grasslands and scrub to forested habitats is not great.”
In December, a vegetation crew from NPS scattered seeds to help populate the upgraded habitat with native plant species.
One remaining concern is the continuing threat posed by people and their pets. The striking colors that make the San Francisco garter snake a California icon have also made it a target for illegal poaching for the pet trade, said McNellis. SFO can secure its habitat with a security fence, but other habitats cannot provide protection.

The work that went into this project is amazing and hopefully provides for a successful recovery for these gorgeous snakes! To read the full article, please visit The Mercury News here. This project was extensive and impressive! Kudos to the San Francisco Zoo for their work!

Tracking the animals in the Florida Everglades - Meet the Croc Docs

(Cindy Steinle) — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 02:42:00 -0600

Bryna Daykin, crew leader, is on an airboat during an American crocodile capture survey. (Photo by UF/IFAS Croc Docs)

Today is International Women in Science Day and what better way to celebrate than to highlight some of the "Croc Docs" who track and research the alligators and even burmese pythons in the Everglades. The "Croc Docs" is a program through University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) carry out overnight conservation research projects that checks data on alligator populations as well as tracking invasive species.

For Pupo, a South Florida native, a career in science once felt unrealistic. Like many women in her family, she briefly considered medicine before rediscovering biology during her undergraduate years, inspired by female wildlife professors and peers who shared her passion.

“I can’t imagine a more fulfilling way to spend my time than helping to conserve the environment and the fauna that taught me so much growing up,” she said in the news release.

To read the full article about the work these women herpetologists are doing, click here.

Galapagos Tortoises return to Seychelles

(Cindy Steinle) — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 09:48:00 -0600

Aldabra giant tortoise foraging for food in a forest on North Island, which is part of Aldabra – the world's second-largest coral atoll. Credit: Rich Baxter/IOTA Seychelles

In 1997, North Island located in the Seychelles was purchased by private investors for ecotourism and rewilding. Today, that venture took 200 heavy steps forward as 50 Galapagos tortoises were released to the island to roam free again as they did once before. Many of the tortoises were actually pets surrendered for the joint project with Indian Ocean Tortoise Alliance (IOTA) and North Island Environment Department.

Before the tortoises left Mahé, they were microchipped for the national tortoise census and fed only native leaves to prevent the spread of invasive plant species via their droppings. They underwent two quarantines, one in Mahé and one on North Island, before taking their first steps into their new wild home.

Now, every day, they walk a little farther and explore a little more. “After months of planning, seeing them walk free was incredibly rewarding,” says IOTA assistant project officer Santosh Albert.

To read more about this amazing release, visit here.

Jean Beasley, Founder of Sea Turtle Hospital dies

(Cindy Steinle) — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 16:38:00 -0600

Jean Beasley with the Karen Beasley Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Topsail Beach holds onto Southport a juvenile Kemp's Ridley sea turtle Wednesday Sept. 20, 2006. Southport along with Carolina held by Sandy Sly as Jeanie Marasco of North East, Maryland looks on were both released back into the ocean after being rehabilitated at the hospital. KEN BLEVINS/STARNEWS

Jean Beasley, the founder of the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center, passed surrounded by loved ones at the age of 90, but she leaves a huge hole in Sea Turtle conservation. She was the director and driving force behind the rehabilition center, named after her daughter who passed from Leukemia at the age of 29/ She and her daughter originally created the Topsail Turtle Project, which protected nests and hatchlings, eventually she expanded that into work with the hospital as well as public outreach through the center. Topsail is the midway point between New York and Florida, so the facility helps many cold stunned turtles each year on their migration. To read more about this amazingly dedicated woman, click here.

Thank you Jean for your dedication to sea turtles.