Today was my first day back at the Knoxville Zoo herpetology department since May 2012, when I left for the Caribbean to work with Leatherback Sea Turtles at Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.
Along with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, my involvement with the herpetology department had fallen by the wayside as I "adjusted" to full-time graduate school work and curriculum.
In the 7 months since I stopped volunteering at the Zoo, there are quite a few changes evident. The first is that Khalise, the Komodo Dragon, is now on public display. Last winter, I had helped acclimate Khalise to her new enclosure, formerly occupied by Buttercup, a large reticulated python on loan to the Knoxville Zoo.
A smaller monitor lizard is part of the collection, bred in captivity by another facility. In addition, there is a new stock tank with a theft proof welded wire enclosure top. Warranting this specially constructed enclosure, the zoo has acquired wild-caught, critically endangered ploughshare tortoise (Astrochelys yniphora) from Madagascar confiscated from the illegal pet trade market in Hong Kong by the Turtle Survival Alliance. Along with new fencing and a security camera on the outdoor enclosure for these animals, the extra security isn't overkill; it's because these animals are the rarest tortoises in the world, so they are highly sought after for the pet trade. In fact, these animals can sell for as much as $60,000 on the black market.
Along with Zoo Atlanta, the Knoxville zoo was selected to house the rare species due to a high success rate with captive breeding of tortoises including the Indian Star Tortoise Flat Tailed Tortoise, and lead keeper Michael Ogle frequently travels to Madagascar for conservation conferences. In their native land, tortoises are heavily persecuted as bush meat for a growing population that places survival over a conservation ethic. Also, mining interests and the need for cooking charcoal has driven wide-spread deforestation and habitat loss. As a result, it is within reason to expect that there are more tortoises in captivity than in the wild.
Speaking of Madagascar, I got to handle a Madagascar tree boa (Sanzinia madagascariensis) today. That's was pretty cool. I cleaned the snake's enclosure and supplied a new substrate of 2/3 cypress mulch to 1/3 spaghnum moss. I was impressed by how muscular the animal was - this is the first time I've handled a good sized constrictor. Every part of the animal's body is a powerful muscle - to the tip of its tail, which was quite prehensile. The snake I handled was greyish-green in color, similar in my estimation to the color of a grey treefrog here in the U.S., or perhaps more like the spring peeper. Here is a picture: http://www.arkive.org/madagascar-tree-boa/sanzinia-madagascariensis/image-G126160.html
According to Arkive.org, the greyish green color means the animal the Knoxville Zoo has is of a heritage from the eastern part of Madagascar. I know there are some objections to keeping animals of low conservation concern in captivity, however it is a good educational tool for someone from East Tennessee to see an animal from an island nation in the Indian Ocean.
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