Re: Conservation as a goal

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Posted by critterwoman on April 17, 2003 at 11:00:40:

In Reply to: Re: Conservation as a goal posted by Les4toads on April 16, 2003 at 21:57:24:

::::I have read as far back as I can but I haven't found anyone who has kept there HL's in outdoor set up and of course ant feeding will be supplied by me. I have experience with Turtles outdoors with good out come. I live in the high plain area of southern Colorado and have seen these guys in the wild before. I would like to breed them and then set all offspring out in our resevoir area. Large areas with few roads no farming. Do you think this could disrupt current populations? I used to see them often but don't see them much anymore. Last time I saw one in wild was in KS summer before last.

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::::You have a good idea but you need to first check with your local Fish and Game office and make your proposal. You are facing several problems. The first problem is the possibility of transmitting bacterial or viral agents in to wild populations (a similar problem that has happened with the Desert Tortoise). The second problem is the population dynamics with existing populations may cause an avalanch effect and creat a decline for both the existing and implanted animals. There are numerous studies that have been done with repatriation and failure is about 90% or greater. Work out a plan and submit it to you local University and Fish and Game office. They may have some suggestions. Lester G. Milroy III

::I will make plan and submit. Very good info thank you. Do you know of anywhere that there may be information on competing species. I believe that the harvester ant populations are still good in this area because the habitat is not very disturbed. You are correct I am worried about introducing health issues into the local population. Also, I believe the mostly the local hl's here are the Texas type so I would be interested in knowing whether the different types inter-breed and if that is an issue. My original idea was that if the hl's were produced in a semi wild environment instead of a simulation with many unnatural controls that they would do better upon release. Do you know of any conservation for hl's other than that going on in Texas? Your thoughts are appreciated. Not planning to go off with half thoughtout idea.

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::In Colorado, there are two species of horned lizards. The Texas Horned Lizard, Phrynosoma cornutum, is present in the lower southeast corner of the state. The other species of horned lizard is the Shorthorned Lizard, Phrynosoma hernandezi. These two will not inter-breed because one is oviparous(egg layer) and the other is viviparous (live bearer). Their habitat requirements are very different too. Outdoor enclosues would not make a lot of difference because there is the issue of how big of an enclosure would be needed. Ideally, if you had several acres as an enclosure, it might be doable. There are studies going on in a lot of areas concerning horned lizards, outside of Texas. I work with the Coast Horned Lizard in California, primarily, and have for about 17 years. There are ongoing studies concerning the Flattail Horned Lizard in California and Arizona. There are ongoing studies of 4 different species in Portal Arizona. Studies in Oklahoma on the Texas Horned Lizard are ongoing. So as you can see there is a lot of work being done by numerous people. Work up a plan and submit. The more work that is being done, the better. Lester G. Milroy III

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I may have access to a large acerage but it sounds like I need to do a lot more home work. According to the folks that own the land they have seen HL's there. I have not but perhaps I need to spend some good time on the property. Doing harm even with good intentions is still harm. I am in the southeast area of Colorado. I think I have a lot more learning to do prior to even being able to submit a decent plan. I found the OK and TX conservation sites. Northwest TX would be much like my area with some eco differences. Thanks for your info.

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