THE ARMENIAN VIPER CEF Assists with Conservation Efforts for a Rapidly Declining Species

ALL PHOTOS © ST. LOUIS ZOO By Jeff Ettling

he Armenian viper (Montivipera raddei) is a medium-sized snake with a known range that Tincludes easternmost Turkey, extreme north- western Iran and adjacent Armenia. Although the rapid decline of M. raddei populations were docu- mented in the early 1980s and the species was sub- sequently listed as a species of concern in the Red Data Book of the U.S.S.R. and the Red Data Book of Armenian S.S.R. Animals, there has been limited conservation action directed towards this species. Throughout Armenia the habitat of M. raddei has been subjected to considerable modification for agricultural activities. In addition, large numbers of vipers have been collected for the pet trade over the past decade. In the mid 1960s population densi- ties were estimated at 20-to-50 specimens/hectare, whereas current estimates indicate that there are only three-to-nine specimens/hectare. Although M. UIFTUPOFTGSPNUIFGJFMETQSJPSUPQMPXJOH‡IFTFSPDLQJMFTDSF‰ raddei is protected under Armenian law and collec- BUFJEFBMIBCJUBUGPS‡SBEEFJBTXFMMBTPUIFSTOBLFTQFDJFT‡IF tion is prohibited illegal collection still occurs. The TOBLFTEPOPUCFHJONPWJOHJOUPUIFBHSJDVMUVSBMBSFBTVOUJMMBUF only protected habitat for the species in Armenia is VOF˜FBSMZVMZBOEUIFTFBSFBTBSFVUJMJ[FEVOUJMMBUFFQUFNCFS˜ in Khosrov Forest Reserve and Shikahogh Reserve. FBSMZDUPCFSXIFOUIFTOBLFTCFHJONJHSBUJOHCBDLUPXBSETUIF Furthermore, data on habitat use, home range size EFOTJUFT‡IFMBSHFSIPNFSBOHFTGPSCPUITFYFTNBZCFUIFSFTVMU and population structure are lacking. PGUIFMBSHFBSFBTPGIBZGJFMETXIJDIDPOTJTUPGBNJYUVSFPGOBUJWF HSBTT TQFDJFT UIBU JO UVSO BUUSBDU BOE TVQQPSU B XJEF WBSJFUZ PG CPUIJOWFSUFCSBUFBOEWFSUFCSBUFQSFZTQFDJFT‡ IF HSBOUBXBSEFEJOÎÌÌÓIBTBMMPXFEVTUPBEESFTTRVFT‰ JMMUIFTOBLFTBUUIFCPWJBOTJUFIBWFTJNJMBSIPNFSBOHFT UJPOTSFHBSEJOHIPNFSBOHFTJ[FBOEIBCJUBUSFRVJSFNFOUTBOE BOEIBCJUBUVTFQBUUFSOTJOÎÌÌՌIBUPUIFSGBDUPSTNBZCFJO‰ UP CVJME VQPO PVS QSFMJNJOBSZ TUVEZ DPOEVDUFE JO ÎÌÌÐ BOE GMVFODJOHUIFTJNJMBSJUZJOIPNFSBOHFTJ[FŒIFTFBSFRVFTUJPOT ÎÌÌчIFDVSSFOUSBEJPUFMFNFUSZTUVEZJTCFJOHDBSSJFEPVUJO UIBUXJMMCFBEESFTTFEEVSJOHUIFVQDPNJOHGJFMETFBTPO‡JUIB UIFCPWJBOFHJPOPGSNFOJBBOEXJMMDPOUJOVFUISPVHIÎÌÌՇ GSBHNFOUFEEJTUSJCVUJPOJUJTJNQPSUBOUUPFWBMVBUFUIFOFFETPG BTFEPOBOBOBMZTJTPGUIFEBUBDPMMFDUFEEVSJOHUIFÎÌÌÔGJFME UIFMPDBMJ[FEQPQVMBUJPOTBOEUPNBOBHFUIFNBDDPSEJOHMZ‡IF TFBTPO ‡ SBEEFJ EJE OPU FYIJCJU BOZ TJHOJGJDBOU TFYVBM EJGGFS‰ CBTJDFDPMPHJDBMJOGPSNBUJPOQSPWJEFECZUIFSBEJPUFMFNFUSZTUVE‰ FODFTJONFBOIPNFSBOHFTJ[F‡ ODPOUSBTU„NBOZPUIFSWJQFSJE JFT„DPNCJOFEXJUIUIFEBUBSFTVMUJOHGSPNUIFHFOFUJDBOBMZTFT TOBLFTTIPXTIBSQEJGGFSFODFTJOIPNFSBOHFTJ[FCFUXFFOUIF CFJOH DPOEVDUFE„ XJMM QSPWJEF UIF GVOEBNFOUBM EBUB OFFEFE UP TFYFT„ XJUI NBMFT UZQJDBMMZ IBWJOH NVDI MBSHFS IPNF SBOHFT FGGFDUJWFMZNBOBHFBOENBJOUBJOWJBCMFQPQVMBUJPOTPG‡SBEEFJ UIBO GFNBMFT‡  IF BSFB TVSSPVOEJOH UIF NPVOUBJO XIFSF UIF JOSNFOJB‡ WJQFSTIJCFSOBUFDPOTJTUTPGBNPTBJDPGBHSJDVMUVSBMGJFMET„XJUI UIFQSJNBSZDSPQCFJOHIBZ‡FUXFFOUIFGJFMETUIFSFBSFSPDL QJMFTUIBUIBWFCFFODSFBUFECZUIFGBSNFSTXIPIBWFSFNPWFE JEFF ETTLING IS THE CURATOR OF HERPETOLOGY & AQUATICS AT THE SAINT LOUIS ZOO

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