Protection of endangered snake is too much- Japan Press Item

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: CHUNICHI SHIMBUN (Nagoya, Japan) 30 January 00 Protection of endangered snake is too much to handle : "The White Snake of Iwakuni," a Japanese natural treasure native to Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, was breeding at a much higher rate than expected as a result of the nation's efforts to protect it. : Officials are concerned about a breeding farm which is rapidly becoming overcrowded. : White snakes are albino Japanese rat snakes (called aodaisho in Japanese). : According to a group that works for the preservation of the reptiles, at the end of World War II there were about 2,000 white snakes in Iwakuni City. : However, the number of snakes drastically decreased because of rampant urbanization in the 1960s and 1970s. In response, the city launched a protection program and opened the breeding farm in 1965. : There were about 200 white snakes alive in 1977 and the figure has now increased to 1,000. : Since white snakes are designated as a natural treasure, culling of the species is forbidden. However, it is difficult to increase the facility's capacity because of financial reasons. : It is feared that if the white snakes are returned to the wild they might be captured and traded. : Although it is said that white snakes are the guardian deity of people's houses, it seems that they cannot solve their own housing dilemma. : : :

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