Blue indigo snake in alabama1/12/2024 ![]() The eastern indigo project started in 2006, and the program was able to start releasing captive-raised indigos in 2010 with 17 adult snakes released into the Conecuh National Forest. They estimated the juvenile indigo at about 7 months old. Those released snakes are 5 feet in length or longer. It had no PIT (passive integrated transponder) tag or any indication we use in monitoring to indicate it was a released snake. “It measured 2 feet in length, which is much smaller than the snakes we release from OCIC (Orianne Center for Indigo Conservation). “They knew because it was a hatchling-size snake,” she said. Wood said the technicians knew immediately what they had discovered when the snake was picked up. “There’s always the hope that we will find documentation of reproduction, and it finally happened.” We’re out there assessing and trying to document their survival. It was really no different than the monitoring we do for the released snakes. “The technicians were out and came across the snake as part of the monitoring effort. “We try to document how long they are living, how far they are moving and how they’re doing healthwise,” Wood said. Technicians from the Auburn School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences and the Auburn Museum of Natural History were out looking for documentation of indigo snakes as part of the long-term program to re-establish viable populations of eastern indigos in their native habitat, mainly in longleaf pine forests in central and south Alabama. They truly have a passion for their work, and I am so thankful for them.” ![]() ![]() “It is great for the species, but I am also really happy for Traci and the staff who have worked for years to make this happen. “I am thrilled that we have documented wild reproduction of the eastern indigo,” Commissioner Blankenship said. It’s proof that what we are doing through reintroduction is working and that captive snakes are acting like wild snakes after they are released.”Ĭhris Blankenship, Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources echoed the importance of the achievement. It’s the first documentation of a wild snake in more than 60 years in Alabama. It’s big for recovery efforts of a federally listed threatened species. “This is a monumental benchmark in conservation for Alabama and the southeast region for this species. “I’m not embarrassed to say that I was shaking when I held that animal,” Wood said. Wood, the Habitat and Species Conservation Coordinator with the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division, had in her hands the first wild eastern indigo snake documented in Alabama in more than 60 years. No, she wasn’t afraid of the snake she was holding. Traci Wood admitted holding the snake almost made her come unglued. The state wildlife department partnered with several collaborators for the indigo project, including the US Forest Service, the US Fish, and Wildlife Service, zoos in Tampa, Florida, and Atlanta, and Auburn University's School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences.David Rainer, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Reintroducing the species to its native range is a daunting task, and now wildlife officials celebrate each step of the success of their project. The wildlife department aims to release a total of 300 snakes over the years to improve the chances of establishing a viable population of eastern indigo snakes in Alabama. When they first started the project, the indigo snakes released in Alabama were the captured snakes in the wild in Georgia. As a federally protected species, a person needs to secure permits before interacting or handling these snakes. Wildlife officials said that the indigo project was founded in 2006 and started releasing snakes in 2010 to reintroduce the federally protected species back to the wilds of Alabama, NBC News reported.
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