Komodo Attack

A Komodo dragon bit a Komodo Island park ranger on the foot; it had apparently been chasing a monkey. This report doesn't say why or how it turned on the ranger.

[Update: a little more information on the attack here, but several details still missing.]

Smugglers & Poachers

Three people were arrested for trying to smuggle geckos out of New Zealand. (News source.)

Six people were arrested in South Africa for trading in leopard tortoises. (News source.)

Croc News

A Frenchman and Burundi resident is trying to hunt down Gustave, that country's infamous killer crocodile. (News source.)

A Uganda minister is trying to make it legal for residents to kill (and eat) crocodiles, which are a constant danger in that country. (News source.)

Mugger crocs in Iran are seriously on the decline due to poaching and habitat loss. (News source.)

A well-known large American crocodile, Wilma, on Sanibel, has been found dead. (News source.)

Giant Salamanders

An interesting BBC news article on giant salamanders in Japan, here.

Herp Conservation Notes

A new hibernaculum was created for some relocated fox snakes in Illinois. (News source.)

Half of a Sussex Co., NJ, bog was acquired for conservation as bog turtle habitat for $1.1 million. Negotiations for the other half are ongoing. (News source.)

Some tuatara conservation research here.

Freshwater crocs are being pushed out of the Northern Territories by saltwater crocs. (News source.)

Galapagos Tortoise Rediscovered in Captivity

Nine captive Galapagos Island tortoises are descendants of an "extinct" species from Floreana Island, according to new genetic research. (News source.)

Gopher Tortoise Poaching

Someone has killed and eaten at least 13 gopher tortoises in the Wabasso Scrub Conservation Area (Florida). (News source.)

Missouri Turtle Dealer Sentenced

A Missouri turtle farmer was sentenced for shipping native and endangered species without permit to Japan. (News source.)

Crocodilians in the News

35 pure Siamese crocodiles were found among a larger group of rescued crocs in Cambodia. These will be used to help in the conservation of this endangered species. (News source.)

A profile here on a Namibian man attacked by a large crocodile.

A Florida man stuck his hands under a car, thinking his dog was under it, and got bit by an alligator. (News source.)

Toads Released

Endangered captive-born Houston toads have been released into the wild by the Houston, TX, Zoo. (News source.)

Amargosa Toad

The USFWS will be reviewing the Amargosa toad, "found only along a 10-mile stretch of the Amargosa River in the Mojave Desert near Beatty, 120 miles northwest of Las Vegas," for inclusion on the Endangered Species list. (News source.)

Arakan Forest Turtles

Wildlife researchers have seen Arakan forest turtles alive in their native habitat for the first time. (News source.)

Lake Erie Water Snakes

There has been a rebound in the endangered Lake Erie water snake, with about 10,000 in the wild. (News source.)

More on Philippine Crocs

A few more details on the reintroduction of young Philippine crocodiles in a lake on Luzon island. (News source.)

Philippine Crocs Released

"50 captive-bred Philippine crocodiles (Crocodylus mindorensis) have been released into the wild in Dicatian Lake, Isabela Province, Luzon Island." (News source.)

Giant Garters

The endangered giant garter snake has been found in San Joaquin County, CA, for the first time in 15 years. (News source.)

Sea Turtle Smuggling

Indonesian police seized 45 poached green sea turtles. (News source.)

Lonesome George Not So Lonesome

The famed Galapagos tortoise has apparently fathered 5 healthy eggs. (News source.)

Prisoners Raise Endangered Frogs

A few prisoners in Washington State are helping to raise endangered Oregon spotted frogs, and are doing a pretty good job at it. (News source.)

Chinese Alligator Success

A group of wild-born Chinese alligators from previously captive adults has been discovered on Chongming Island. (News source.)

Komodo Attack

An Indonesian man was killed by two Komodo dragons when he illegally stopped on an island in Komodo National Park to pick fruit. (News source.)

Gharial Study

Gharials are being radio-tagged in Nepal for study. (News source.)

Tortoise News

Australian loggerhead turtles ride the ocean currents to the waters off South America. (News source.)

Some conservationists argue that the Red List of endangered animals includes species that are actually safe from extinction (including several sea turtles) which takes conservation focus and dollars away from species that truly do need the help. (News source.)

Marsh Crocodile Decline

A brief article here on the decline of marsh crocodiles in Balochistan.

Broad-Headed Snake Exhibit

The Nowra Wildlife Park has a new exhibit of the endangered (and venomous) broad-headed snake. (News source.)

Copperbelly Watersnakes

The USFWS has put together a recovery plan for the northern copperbelly watersnake. (News source.)

Turkey Point Crocs

The Turkey Point Nuclear Plant played an inadvertent role in the conservation of the American crocodile, as the cooling canals built around the plant created a favored breeding grounds for the species. (News source.)

And, a profile here on a croc researcher who has studied the American crocs at Turkey Point for two decades.

Yellow-Legged Frog Study

The impact of climate on Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frogs is the subject of a recent research paper.

Frogs vs Tourism

A couple of conservation groups have forced the DFG not to stock trout in a number of California waterways due to not having filed environmental impact reports on the red-legged frog. Fishing tourism has a high likelihood of being impacted. (News source.)

Garter Protection Controversy

An eco-political group tried to get the USFWS to list the northern Mexico gartersnake as endangered, but financial problems mean the snake will continue as a "candidate" species. (News source.)

Frog News

California is expanding designated habitat for the rare red-legged frog, creating issues with landowners and ranchers who point out that it could create conservation problems. (News source.)

Rough grass in golf courses might actually help northern cricket frogs: an Ohio study is setting out to investigate that claim. (News source.)

Rare Frog Video

Video here of the red-eyed stream frog in Costa Rica. (News source.)

Toad Conservation

The Bronx Zoo is breeding Kihansi spray toads. (News source.)

Tortoise Crime

A British national was caught illegally possessing two tortoises in Cameroon. (News source.)

Shovel-Nose Editorial

On the Tucson shovel-nosed snake and the ESA here.

Flatwoods Salamander Protection

As a genetic study in 2007 split the flatwoods salamander back into two species (Ambystoma cinculatum and Ambystoma bishopi), the USFWS is now wanting to consider both species separately, keeping the frosted flatwoods salamander (A. cingulatum) as threatened, but moving the reticulated flatwoods salamander to endangered status. (Details)

Rattlesnake News

Wisconsin biologists are trying to restore the massasauga. (News source.)

And, a California columnist came across two male rattlers in a dominance display. (News source.)

Problems with Prosecution

Prosecuting cases of gopher tortoise killings by developers in Florida can be frustrating. Details here.

Gecko Endangered

There are concerns in India about the future of the banded ground gecko. (News source.)

NZ Skink Recovery

Endangered skinks in New Zealand are rebounding due to captive breeding and predator control. (News source.)

Tenarife Trouble

A mudslide and subsequent rockfall may have killed a number of giant lizards on El Hierro. (News source.)

Salamander Study

An article here on researchers looking at the endangered Red Hills salamander in Alabama.

Crocodilian News

A Texas man tries to find a new home for his 5-foot illegal alligator. (News source.)

China is reporting (for some reason) the sighting of some Chinese alligators in the wild. (News source.)

Two gharials were spotted 30km from the Tata Steel Zoological Park (in India ), where they escaped during flooding. (News source.)

An Australian man was fortunate enough to fight off an attack by a 15-foot saltwater crocodile. (News source.)

Baby Nile crocodiles synchronize their hatching by chattering to each other beforehand. (News source.)

Massasauga Hunter

Pennsylvania surveys for the eastern massasauga... (News source.)

Turtle Release

Captive-reared northern red-bellied cooters were released into Massachusetts waters in a "head-start" program for the endangered subspecies. (News source.)

Galapagos: New Threat

An active volcano on Isabela Island is threatening giant tortoises on that area. (News source.)

Iguana Crime

Six endangered blue iguanas were killed at a captive-breeding center in the Cayman Islands. The animals were stomped and mutilated, and police are investigating. (News source.)

Crocodilian News

A Florida golf ball diver was attacked by a 10+ foot alligator, managing to barely escape with a broken arm and crushed shoulder. (News source.)

A 3-foot crocodilian was reported from Swansea lake, in the UK. (News source.)

A hunt for gharials in Pakistan didn't locate any of the species. They may have been wiped out by hunters. (News source.)

Black Market Tortoises

Here is an article on a black market in Bangkok with very rare tortoises.

Desert Tortoises Killed

23 relocated desert tortoises have been killed by coyotes after being displaced from the Ft. Irwin expansion area. (News source.)

Zoo Rediscovers Turtle

From the announcement:

"Cleveland Metroparks Zoo today announced the discovery of a critically endangered turtle in northern Vietnam that previously was thought to be extinct in the wild. Experts from the Zoo's Asian Turtle Program confirmed they have identified the only known living specimen of a Swinhoe's soft-shell turtle (Rafetus swinhoei) in nature.
"After three years of searching, Zoo-sponsored researchers focused on a lake just west of Hanoi after residents reported spotting the gigantic turtle there. Field biologists, along with Education for Nature in Vietnam, found and photographed the turtle, allowing scientists to verify it was the rare Swinhoe's soft-shell turtle, which is considered a national treasure in Vietnam."

Lungless Frog

A rare aquatic frog, Barbourula kalimantanensis, from Borneo has been confirmed as the only known (so far) lungless frog. The frog "lives in cold, fast-flowing water, they noted, so loss of lungs might be an adaptation to a combination of factors: a higher oxygen environment, the species’s presumed low metabolic rate, severe flattening of their bodies that increases the surface area of their skin, and selection for negative buoyancy—meaning that the frogs would rather sink than float." (Eurekalert)

Ravens vs Desert Tortoises

Federal wildlife officers plan to kill any ravens caught preying on desert tortoises in the California desert, along with using other methods to make the area uninviting for the birds. (News source.)

Frog Breeding

Memphis Zoo is planning to breed the endangered Mississippi gopher frogs. (News source.)

Tortoise Breeds

A 70 year old Galapagos tortoise at the Zurich Zoo had a baby hatch out. (News source.)

Cayman Iguana Mystery

A mystery Grand Cayman blue iguana was found in George Town. It is untagged and believed too big to be from reintroduction efforts; it may represent the original population, unseen for 60 years. Or it may be a released illegal captive... Research is ongoing. (News source.)

SF Garter & Politics

Here's a commentary on a developer's attempt to finagle its way around its own study of a quarry's habitat potential for San Fran. garters. (News source.)

Frog Rediscovered

The Carrikeri Harlequin Frog (Atelopus carrikeri) has been rediscovered in Colombia. (News source.)

Gharial Investigation Continues

Live gharials are been captured and tested to acquire baseline data, so that researchers can figure out what's killing the species in India. (News source.)

"Post mortem analysis of dead Gharials found ulcerated lesions in the stomach and some inflammation in the intestine. Absence of external injuries rules out accidental death or poaching. Toxicological and pathological examination of the organs of the dead gharials by the IVRI, Bareilly, and ITRC, Lucknow found lead concentrations between 0.7-1.4 ppm. Liver and kidney tissues indicate degenerative changes. Presence of various stages of protozoan parasite was also detected. Autopsies conducted on 4 dead gharials on 27th January, 2008 revealed significant gout – both visceral and articulate. Even the feet and tail joints had uric acid deposits. Gout is indicative of kidney failure as a result of toxic poisoning or disease. However, the gharials seemed in good health condition with fat deposits."

Toad Reintroduction

New Mexico officials are planning to reintroduce a rare subspecies of the boreal toad to Rio Arriba County, NM. The last reported sighting in that county was in 1996. Once common, the toads have been decimated by the chytrid fungus. (News source.)

Madagascar Tortoise Smuggling

Here's a BBC News article on the capture of a Nigerian smuggler who was found with 300 tortoises from Madagascar, and a general review of the problem.

Gecko Photographed

A rare New Zealand gecko species, the Wellington green gecko, was photographed in the city of Karori for the first time in about thirty years. It's occasionally seen elsewhere. (News source with photos.)

Zoo Babies

Perth Zoo hatched out 8 rare rough-scaled pythons recently. (News source.)

Gharial Deaths Continue

The Indian gharial epidemic continues, with over 100 dying on the Chambal river in the last 6 weeks. The cause is still unknown, but lead traces have been found in some bodies. (News source.)

Lancelin Island Skinks

Introducing the rare endemic Lancelin Island (Australia) skink to a nearby island in 2003 has paid off, as 133 skinks have grown to what is thought to be about 500 skinks. (News source.)

Mountain Yellow-Legged Frogs

A small population of mountain yellow-legged frogs in the San Gabriel Mountains (California), and less than 100 are believed to remain in the wild. Regulations set up by the Forest Service to protect the surrounding habitat are coming into contention with climbers who want to cross the area to reach a popular crag. (News source.)

Sea Turtle Smuggler in Court

A Chinese national pleaded guilty in US Federal Court to smuggling hawksbill sea turtle shells (and items made from the shells). (News source.)

Sea Turtle Conservation Pays Off

Conservation of sea turtle nesting sites is paying off, with notable increases in nesting numbers at four protected beach sites over the last few decades. (News source.)

Jollyville Salamander

The USFWS agrees that the Jollyville Plateau salamander deserves protection, but it has to wait in line. (News source.)

Gharial Mortality

21 endangered gharials have died recently in the Chambal River, India, possibly due to bacterial disease (though uncertain.) Conservationists are alarmed. (News source.)

Toad Loan

The World Bank is loaning Tanzania 3.5 million for environmental protection of the habitat of the endangered Kihansi Spray Toad. Captive-born toads are expected to be released in stages over the next year. (News source.)

Chinese Protect Turtle

What may be the last female Yangtze giant soft-shell turtle is being protected now with an armed guard at the Changsha zoo, in Hunan Province, where it has lived for over half a century in obscurity. (News source.)

Tadpoles Go Home

Several hundred Puerto Rican crested toad tadpoles are being sent back to their homeland after being hatched at the Miami-Dade zoo. (News source.)

Sea Turtle Conservation

Two conservation groups are requesting that the loggerhead turtle be classified as an endangered species with USFWS. Currently, it is only classified as threatened. (News source.)

An overview of the USFWS' work with sea turtles can be found over at Mongabay.

Turtle Protection

A permanent fence has been set up along US 98 in Alabama, to prevent the endangered red-bellied turtle from becoming DOR. (News source.)

Natterjack Conservation

Farmers in Co. Kerry, Ireland, (or at least specified zones in the county) are being offered payments to dig shallow ponds for the rare natterjack toad. (News source.)

Tenarife Facility

The giant lizard breeding facility in Valle Gran Rey, La Gomera, Tenarife, is using natural methods for hatching eggs of the endangered species. Last year, incubator methods produced far more males than females, so they are hoping this produces a more number of both genders. (News source.)

Tortoise Preserve

73 acres with gopher tortoises in Lutz, FL, may be turned into a conservation preserve. (News source.)

Spotted Frog Release

1800 endangered Oregon spotted frogs will be released into British Columbia's Fraser Valley this month. (News source.)

Gharials

Gharials are now considered critically endangered in India, as populations diminish in response to development on the rivers. (News source.)

Loggerhead Decline

A 5-year status report on endangered loggerhead sea turtles reaching the shore of North America shows that the species is starting to decline again, after a period of rising numbers. (News source.)

Fiji Smuggling

A California man was charged with smuggling endangered Fiji iguanas inside his prosthetic leg. (News source.)

Wyoming Toad Conservation

40 Wyoming toadlets are being raised at the Detroit Zoo, and will eventually be either sent to other conservation breeding facilities or released into the wild. (News source.)

Sea Turtle Meal

Fiji's Methodist Church is in trouble for using many more than the approved number of endangered sea turtles in their conference banquet. (News source.)

Goanna Decline

Researchers believe the yellow-spotted goanna in the Northwest Territories, Australia, is nearing extinction. This could impact Aborigine populations, who use it as a food resource. (News source.)

Toadlets Found

Australian conservationists have discovered new populations of the rare brown toadlet, a frog that has too short of legs to hop, in the Greater Bendigo National Park. (News source.)

Tortoise Hatching

The Living Desert Zoo & Gardens State Park in Carlsbad, NM, has hatched out some Bolson's tortoises, an endangered North American species. (News source.)

PA: Toad Halts Road

Spadefoot toads, rare in Pennsylvania, have killed a road project due to concerns over a Northumberland County wetlands where they have been found. (News source)

Shenandoah Salamanders

The federally protected Shenandoah salamander is found only in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, and is now being surveyed by a Smithsonian biologist. (News source)

Hunt for a Giant Anole

A travel writer describes his search for the "giant" anole, Anolis roosevelti, on the island of Culebra in Puerto Rico. It hasn't been captured since 1932, though sporadic sightings suggest it still exists. (News source.)

Cleveland Zoo Breeding Toads

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo has spent 10 years trying to breed the endangered Puerto Rican Crested Toads, and this year have 20 new offspring to raise. (News source.)

Chinese Box Turtle Threatened

Chinese researchers state that the golden-headed box turtle may become extinct within ten years in Anhui Province. Less than 100 are believed to exist there in the wild, and Anhui Province villagers claim they haven't seen one in five years. It is a popular, and expensive, menu item in China. (News source.)

Massasaugas in Ohio

Here is an interesting article on massassaugas at Cedar Bog, in Ohio.

10,000 Chinese Alligators Need New Home

A Chinese research center started breeding the endangered Chinese alligator nine years ago, and now has over 10,000 of the animal in a severely overcrowded facility. They only expect to release a few (6) into the wild this year, where only 200 are known to survive. (No reasons given on why no further releases are planned. Habitat loss?) They are looking at alternatives, like selling them to zoos around the world. (News source.)

Cambodian Softshell Rediscovered

Conservationists found a rare softshell turtle in Cambodia, previously feared to have become extinct. The turtle and its nesting ground were found during a survey of the Mekong river. (News source.)

Barton Springs Salamander

The Daily Texan has a long article on current protection efforts for the endangered Barton Springs salamander, believed to number 400 or so in the wild.