Bringing back the Horned Lizard

Image screenshot from video from KVUE

The Texas Horned Lizard is one of the most iconic animals of our southwest, but their numbers have taken a sharp decline in the past 50 years due to primarily fire ants displacing their natural food sources, among all the other usual suspects. Heck, I will be honest, my rescue here had one that a Dad brought his daughter several years ago from the wild that I worked to get to a zoo back in Texas and is part of these programs I am about to share!

About 100 miles away from Austin in Monroe county 100 babies hatched at zoos in Fort Worth and Dallas were recently released and are being tracked as well as adults already in tracking programs to help ensure their reintroduction and survival!

Researchers use lightweight harmonic tags on hatchlings, attaching them with a small amount of adhesive that allows the tag to fall off naturally within weeks. Adult lizards are fitted with small radio transmitters, temporarily secured with eyelash glue so they can be removed periodically to replace batteries.

I know this article hit a soft spot for me because of Pita, the rescue that I sent down to the program, but I hope you take the time to check this out too! To read the full article and see the video, click here