79433

Wildlife conservation organisation, Aussie Ark, has marked a significant milestone in the fight to save the rare and elusive Broad-headed Snake from extinction by, in a world-first, successfully breeding the endangered snake species.

This achievement has resulted in the birth of four healthy baby snakes.

The venomous Broad-headed Snake, found exclusively in the Sydney Sandstone Basin and its surrounding areas, is on the brink of extinction due to rampant habitat destruction and illegal poaching. 

It took Aussie Ark five expeditions and over 800 hours of searching to secure 17 adults of the right age and size to begin the world’s first wild-sourced captive breeding and rewilding program of this iconic reptile last year. Their new home at Conservation Ark, located within the Australian Reptile Park, provided the perfect environment for this critical breeding program. Last spring, the pair were successfully matched for mating, and now, their remarkable union has resulted in the birth of these precious hatchlings - a triumph for conservation.

Aussie Ark Managing Director Tim Faulkner said it was the most “exciting moment ever” when the team observed one female was gravid (pregnant) adding “we could actually see a bulge in her belly. Then it happened…the mother snake gave birth to four exquisite young.” 

Week one was critical as the Aussie Ark team monitored the precious juveniles and waited for them to shed their skin for the first time. Faulkner said they needed all four snakes to do this before the team was assured they were healthy and strong. 

Faulkner shared “we’ve conducted our first health check of the baby snakes and they’re all in great shape. The snakes weigh five grams. Think about how small that is…a mouse weighs 15 grams. They are so vulnerable.” 

As would occur in the wild, the juveniles are separated from Mum and in their own enclosures. They will join Aussie Ark’s holistic breeding and rewilding program, which includes securing their natural habitat and releasing snakes back into the wild in the future. 

If you’d like to help Aussie Ark save the Broad-headed Snake from extinction, please donate at aussieark.org.au 

Images. Credit: Aussie Ark

Related Articles

28th February 2025 - Aussie Ark and AGL announce launch of new veterinary facility

8th February 2025 - Aussie Ark returns chlamydia-free koalas back to Sanctuary

3rd January 2025 - Aussie Ark opens its facility for public to encounter endangered animals

12th December 2024 - Conservation organisation Aussie Ark conducts ‘Devil swap’

22nd November 2024 - Aussie Ark aims for chlamydia-free wild Koala population

30th September 2024 - Aussie Ark to transfer Tasmanian Devils to four international zoos

19th September 2024 - Aussie Ark transfers 15 endangered Parma Wallabies from Blue Mountains to Barrington Tops

31st July 2024 - Aussie Ark spotlights ranger Adam Mowbray on World Wildlife Ranger Day

25th June 2024 - Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary eco survey delivers impressive results for Aussie Ark

15th June 2024 - Aussie Ark welcomes first Devil joeys for 2024

25th March 2024 - Aussie Ark launches Eastern Quoll conservation campaign

18th February 2024 - Aussie Ark confirms endangered Greater Gliders thriving in Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary

2nd January 2024 - Aussie Ark offers behind the scene tours for Summer Holidays

22nd December 2023 - Aussie Ark and Australian Reptile Park reveal significant conservation win

---

Support our industry news service
We hope that you value the news that we publish so while you're here can we ask for your support?

As an independent publisher, we need reader support for our industry news gathering so ask that - if you don't already do so - you back us by subscribing to the printed Australasian Leisure Management magazine and/or our online news.

Click here to view our subscription options.