WWW.IRCF.ORG/REPTILESANDAMPHIBIANSJOURNALTABLE OF CONTENTS IRCF REPTILES &IRCF AMPHIBIANS REPTILES • VOL &15, AMPHIBIANS NO 4 • DEC 2008 • 189 25(3):232–236 • DEC 2018
IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS CONSERVATION AND NATURAL HISTORY
TABLE OF CONTENTS CONSERVATION IN ACTION FEATURE ARTICLES . Chasing Bullsnakes (Pituophis catenifer sayi) in Wisconsin: On theRedonda Road to Understanding the Ecology Island and Conservation of the Midwest’sThrives Giant Serpent ...... after Joshua M. Kapfer 190 . The Shared History of Treeboas (Corallus grenadensis) and Humans on Grenada: A Hypothetical Excursion ...... Robert W. Henderson 198
RESEARCHComplex ARTICLES Conservation Project: . The Texas Horned Lizard in Central and Western Texas ...... Emily Henry, Jason Brewer, Krista Mougey, and Gad Perry 204 Magical. The Knight Anole (AnolisTransformation equestris) in Florida Spells Brighter ...... Brian J. Camposano, Kenneth L. Krysko, Kevin M. Enge, Ellen M. Donlan, and Michael Granatosky 212
FutureCONSERVATION for ALERT Redonda’s Fantastic Beasts* . World’s Mammals in Crisis ...... 220 . More Than Mammals ...... Tim Knight ...... 223 . The “Dow Jones Index” of Biodiversity ...... 225 Fauna & Flora International HUSBANDRY Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, United Kingdom . Captive Care of the Central Netted Dragon ...... Shannon Plummer 226
Campaign to removePROFILE invasive rats and goats from Redonda has yielded spectacular results for the island’s unique and special wildlife. . Kraig Adler: A Lifetime Promoting Herpetology ...... Michael L. Treglia 234
COMMENTARY f conservationists .hadThe Turtles waved Have Beena magic Watching wand, Me ...... the results Speaking on behalf Eric of Gangloff the 238Department of the Icould hardly have been more spectacular. Within 12 Environment, Dr. Helena Jeffery Brown said: “The months of starving BOOKgoats and REVIEW thousands of ravenous rats being Government of Antigua and Barbuda considers the return to . Threatened1 Amphibians of the World edited by S.N. Stuart, M. Hoffmann, J.S. Chanson, N.A. Cox, removed from RedondaR., Berridge, this remote P. Ramani, andCaribbean B.E. Young ...... island has life of Redonda as a shining Robert beacon Powell 243in our collective efforts witnessed a miraculous transformation. Since the ambitious CONSERVATION restoration RESEARCH program REPORTS:2 was rolled Summaries out, of Published Conservation Research Reports ...... 245 NATURAL HISTORY RESEARCH REPORTS 1 the rock of Redonda has been transfigured from an inhospita: Summaries- of Published Redonda Reports harbors on Natural a number History ...... of endemic species 247 that occur nowhere else in NEWBRIEFS ...... the world, including...... at least five species of 248reptiles, such as the Redonda EDITORIAL INFORMATION ...... 251 ble lunar landscape to a greener haven. More importantly, the Ground Dragon (Pholidoscelis atratus). In 2015, all of the surviving rep- FOCUS ON CONSERVATION: A Project You Can Support ...... 252 unique plants and animals native to this isolated, uninhabited tile species were evaluated by the IUCN as Critically Endangered, mean- outpost of Antigua and Barbuda are making a rapid recovery ing they face an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. Redonda has regionally and globally significant colonies of seabirds, including after being freed from an alien invasion. Brown Boobies, Masked Boobies, Red-footed Boobies, Magnificent The evocatively named RedondaFront Cover. Ground Shannon Plummer. Dragon Frigatebirds,Back Cover. and Michael Red-billed Kern Tropicbirds. It was internationally recog- nized as an Important Bird Area in 2009.The Black or Ship Rats ( (Pholidoscelis atratus), a rare black lizardTotat found et velleseque nowhere audant else mo on the Totat et velleseque audant mo Rattus planet, has doubled in number — justestibus one inveliquo of the veliquemany rerchil fantastic rattusestibus) inveliquothat invaded velique Redondarerchil were among the largest recorded members erspienimus, quos accullabo. Ilibus erspienimus,of this species quos accullabo. and were Ilibus observed hunting and killing the island’s liz- beasts that have been pulled back fromaut the dolor brink apicto ofinvere extinction pe dolum by autards dolor and apicto seabirds. invere peDietary dolum analyses have shown that they also consumed removing the predatory black rats andfugiatis plant-devouring maionsequat eumque goats. enormousfugiatis maionsequat quantities eumque of plants and invertebrates. Christopher Columbus And it doesn’t stop there. In lessmoditia than erere a year, nonsedis numbers ma sectiatur of moditianamed erere the nonsedis island main sectia1493- and claimed it for Spain. Redonda was later ma derrovitae voluptam, as quos transferredtur ma derrovitae to the voluptam, British as Crown and around 7,000 tons of seabird guano the equally rare Redonda Tree Lizardsaccullabo. (Anolis nubilis) have was harvested annually from 1865 to 1914. It was likely during this tripled, hundreds of new trees have sprung up, land birds period that rats were introduced to the island. The mining community have increased tenfold, and the island’s globally important was disbanded during World War I, after which the island was uninhab- seabird colonies — including Magnificent Frigatebirds and ited. In 1967, Redonda became a dependency of Antigua and Barbuda. several booby species — are having their best breeding year 2 on record. The Redonda Restoration Programme is supported by, among others, the Darwin Initiative through UK Government funding, National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, Global Wildlife Conservation, Betty Liebert Trust, US Fish & Wildlife Service NMBCA, and Syngenta Crop Protection * Reprinted and adapted with permission from
Copyright © 2018. Tim Knight. All rights reserved. 232 IRCF Reptiles & Amphibians ISSN 1098-6324 KNIGHT IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • 25(3):232–236 • DEC 2018
Redonda before restoration. Photograph by Ed Marshall, FFI. towards ecosystem restoration and biodiversity conservation conservation efforts really show the benefits of invasive species that will bring us another step closer to attaining some of the removal on Caribbean island ecosystems.” Aichi Biodiversity Targets3.” The project’s coordinator, Shanna Challenger, of the “Blood, Sweat, Toil, and Teamwork” Environmental Awareness Group (EAG) and Fauna & Flora In the field of conservation, where successful outcomes can International (FFI), added: “This has been the opportunity take years if not decades to materialize, the spectacular results of a lifetime — witnessing an island be reborn. Changes fore- on Redonda appear remarkably swift. casted to happen in five years occurred within months. Our The reality, of course, is that this “overnight” transforma- tion was a long time in the making. It took seven months of blood, sweat, toil, and — above all — teamwork to catch doz- ens of nimble goats and remove over 6,000 rats from every inch of Redonda’s rugged terrain. This Caribbean island makeover involved meticulous planning, ingenuity, and edge-of-the-seat maneuvers that included rappelling down sheer cliff faces to lay down rat bait and, thanks to the skilled pilots of Caribbean Helicopters Ltd., landing equipment in very tight spots. New Zealand-based Wildlife Management International Limited led the rat eradication team: “We have over 30 years of experience in clearing invasive species from islands,” said ecologist Elizabeth (Biz) Bell, “but having a ground team, rope access team, and helicopter team using a combination View heading north post-eradication Nov 2017. Photograph by Shanna of bait stations, hand broadcasting, and aerial methods to Challenger, FFI. successfully target all of the rats makes the Redonda project unique.” 3 The Aichi Biodiversity Targets form an integral part of the Strategic Plan The British Mountaineering Council (BMC) played a vital for Biodiversity 2011–2020 adopted by signatories to the Convention role in ensuring that even the steepest cliffs could be reached. on Biological Diversity at a 2010 meeting in Nagoya, Japan. They com- Safety was paramount, as CEO Dave Turnbull recalls: “The prise a series of strategic goals that aim to halt biodiversity loss, maintain ecosystem services, and protect the variety of life on the planet that is volcanic cliffs of Redonda presented an extremely challenging essential to human well-being. environment for the climbers to operate in; the BMC was very 233 KNIGHT IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • 25(3):232–236 • DEC 2018
Redonda Ground Dragons (Pholidoscelis atratus). Photographs by Jeremy Holden (left) and Ed Marshall (right), FFI. pleased to support this important conservation project and help that Redonda’s unique and special wildlife, coupled with the ensure the safety of the team throughout the work.” historical remains of one of the region’s largest guano mines, The safe removal of the malnourished herd of rare-breed warrants greater protection for the island. They’re not the only feral goats presented an altogether different challenge, as Dr. ones. A recent nationwide survey revealed that over 96% of Karl Campbell of Island Conservation can attest: “This proj- Antiguans and Barbudans agree the island should be protected. ect was essential for the wellbeing of the goats and to enable Preparations for designating Redonda and the sur- the ecological recovery of the island. The translocation of rounding sea as a reserve are now underway, led by the goats has seen a suite of positive impacts, and further benefits Redonda Steering Committee, chaired by the Department of will unveil themselves in time.” Environment. One intriguing consequence of removing the predatory According to Dr. Robin Moore from US-based Global rats is that lizards on Redonda are rapidly changing their behav- Wildlife Conservation, which has supported this project and ior, according to scientists from Harvard University and the is now helping with planning for the protected area, “It’s Museum of Natural History in Paris. “We measured anti-pred- incredible to see this radical and rapid transformation of ator behavior and found that the Ground Dragons are becom- Redonda from a bare rock to a carpet of vegetation. As plants ing fierce and fearless now that the rats are gone, chasing and and animals continue to rebound, this could truly be a show- eating even adult tree lizards,” said Dr. Colin Donihue. “This case sanctuary for wildlife.” new balance of nature is more in line with what we’d expect of these animals before rats were ever on the island.” 4 The rat eradication and goat removal work was completed by June 2017, The long list of organizations that cooperated in this mis- and Redonda was officially declared rat free in July 2018 after an intensive sion reflects the complex challenges that had to be overcome. three-week survey failed to uncover any signs of rodents anywhere on the The government of Antigua and Barbuda along with the island. This aligns with customary best practice, which is to wait at least EAG and FFI joined forces with leading technical specialists one year before declaring a rat eradication operation successful. The entire population of Black Rats (Rattus rattus) was eradicated using Klerat, a bit- from the UK, USA, and New Zealand. ter, waxy rat bait containing the active ingredient brodifacoum that has Thanks to their collaborative efforts, Redonda has been used successfully to remove rats from dozens of Caribbean islands been rat-free since March 2017 while the feral goats4 have since the early 1990s. This was readily eaten by the rats on Redonda but ignored by the native reptiles, mammals, and birds. The bait was distrib- been rehoused and are being cared for by the government’s uted at intervals of not less than 40 m, even down the high cliffs, to be cer- Veterinary and Livestock Division on Antigua. Biosecurity tain of reaching every rat. The rat eradication team lived on the island for equipment and protocols have also been installed to prevent more than two months to monitor bait uptake and remove rat carcasses. The goat operation took more than six months and aimed to bring the future invasions. healthiest animals back to Antigua alive at the request of the Department of Agriculture. Recent genetic tests indicated that the goats, which have What’s next for Redonda? unusually long horns, are of Spanish origin. Most of the goats were suc- Redonda harbors endemic species that occur nowhere else in cessfully captured by hand after being shepherded along temporary fence lines, but some were caught using live snares. All of the goats were found the world, including at least five species of reptiles, and glob- to be very thin and stunted due to the lack of food on Redonda, but have ally important colonies of seabirds. Conservationists argue since gained weight and begun breeding on Antigua.
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The “Team” Fauna & Flora International (FFI) (www. fauna-flora.org): FFI protects threatened Environmental Awareness Group (EAG) species and ecosystems worldwide, choosing (www.eagantigua.org): Founded in 1989, solutions that are sustainable, based on sound the EAG is the oldest national, non-gov- science, and take account of human needs. ernmental, and not-for profit organization in Antigua and Operating in around 40 countries worldwide, Barbuda. The main focus of the organization is the care and FFI saves species from extinction and habitats from destruc- longevity of the environment. The EAG strives to develop tion, while improving the livelihoods of local people. Founded a society informed and empowered to sustainably use and in 1903, FFI is the world’s longest established international manage its natural resources. The EAG has partnered with conservation body and a registered charity. international and local organizations to manage five success- ful conservation projects, including the multi-award winning British Mountaineering Council (BMC) Offshore Islands Conservation Programme, and trained and (www.thebmc.co.uk): Established in 1944, enlisted a large number of local volunteers. the BMC is the national organization for climbers and hill-walkers in England and Wales, with 81,000 Department of Environment (www.envi- members. It has substantial expertise in all aspects of cliff access ronmentdivision.info): The Department of and safety and promotes environmental best practices. Chief Environment is responsible for sustainable Executive Officer Dave Turnbull (25 years worldwide moun- environmental protection and management taineering experience) and Adam Long (founder of the indus- and for the provision of the framework financial mechanism trial rope access company Access Techniques Ltd.) conducted to execute these activities. The Department undertakes coor- the first access and safety assessment of Redonda in 2011. dination of environmental management through collabora- tion with various governmental agencies, private persons, and Wildlife Management International NGOs. The Department also coordinates the implementa- Ltd. (WMIL) (www.wmil.co.nz): Based tion of several Multilateral Environmental Agreements to in Blenheim, New Zealand, WMIL is an which Antigua and Barbuda are party. ecological consultancy dedicated to research and conservation
Redonda Tree Lizard (Anolis nubilis). Photograph by Ed Marshall, FFI.
235 KNIGHT IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • 25(3):232–236 • DEC 2018 of nature. Islands around the world have been devastated by little additional intervention. Since 1994, IC and partners the effects of alien invasive species. WMIL has over 30 years have successfully restored 60 islands worldwide, benefit- of experience in the eradication of these pests from islands. ing 1,090 populations of 399 species and subspecies. IC is Due to strict regulations governing the use of rodenticides headquartered in Santa Cruz, California with field offices in in Europe and other areas of the world, WMIL developed Australia, the Bahamas, British Columbia, Chile, Ecuador, a ground-based bait station and baiting program that mini- Hawai’i, New Zealand, Palau, and Puerto Rico. mized non-target exposure while still ensuring pest eradica- tion. Using these methods, WMIL has successfully eradicated Global Wildlife Conservation (GWC) mice, rats, feral cats, and rabbits from over 20 islands around (www.globalwildlife.org): GWC protects the world. Usually in partnership with local conservation endangered species and habitats through science-based field organizations and resident island communities, these eradica- action. It has built its success upon a foundation of excellence tions have been the first step in the islands’ restoration, lead- in exploration, research, and conservation. GWC envisions a ing the way for species recovery. world with diverse and abundant wildlife, a truly wild world. GWC is dedicated to ensuring that the species on the verge of Island Conservation (IC) (www.island- extinction aren’t lost but prosper well into the future. conservation.org): Island Conservation is our world’s only global, not-for-profit con- Caribbean Helicopters Ltd. (www.flychl. servation organization whose mission is to prevent extinctions com): Caribbean Helicopters Ltd. is based by removing invasive species from islands. IC works where in Antigua and has been providing helicop- the concentration of both biodiversity and species extinction ter service to Antigua and the surround- is greatest — on islands. Removing a primary threat — intro- ing islands in the Eastern Caribbean since 1996. Caribbean duced invasive vertebrates — is one of the most critical inter- Helicopters specializes in aerial sightseeing tours, aerial pho- ventions for saving threatened plants and animals and restor- tography, external cargo, medical airlift, and assists in aerial ing island ecosystems. Once invasive species are removed, search and rescue. We are especially proud to have assisted in native island species and ecosystems can recover, often with this unique project to restore Redonda.
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