Audubon Zoo Releases Rare Snakes as Part of Conservation Efforts
One of the rarest endangered snakes in North America is getting a helping hand in Louisiana courtesy of Audubon Zoo and its conservation partners. On June 3, 2026, a team from Audubon Zoo released 14 Louisiana pinesnakes in the Kisatchie National Forest in north-central Louisiana. The release is part of an ongoing conservation effort to restore wild populations of this imperiled species. These snakes were hatched at Audubon Zoo as part of the Louisiana Pine Snake Recovery Program, a collaborative zoo-supported initiative.
Audubon Zoo has been working with Louisiana pine snakes for more than 30 years and has been actively involved with conservation efforts for the species for almost the same length of time. To date, Audubon Zoo has released a total of 58 Louisiana pine snakes to the wild, helping increase their numbers and aid in the recovery of the species.
This collaborative conservation initiative involves professionals from various agencies and institutions including the U.S. Forestry Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Kisatchie National Forest, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Department of Defense at Fort Polk, Memphis Zoo, Fort Worth Zoo, Ellen Trout Zoo, and Audubon Zoo.
“Working with our conservation partners, a total of 80 Louisiana pine snakes were released in 2026. The collaboration is key to the success of this project,” said Dr. Steven Whitfield, Director of Terrestrial and Wetlands Conservation at Audubon Nature Institute. “Audubon’s conservation efforts, like this program to return Louisiana pine snakes to the wild, are supported through donations, memberships, and ticket sales at Audubon Zoo. Every time a guest buys a ticket to enjoy a day at the Zoo, they are helping this and other endangered species survive.”
Audubon Zoo’s reptile building is currently closed for renovation, but important work continues behind-the-scenes. The Zoo’s herpetology department cares for a breeding colony of 21 adult Louisiana pine snakes, which produce offspring each year that are released to the wild. The hatchlings are reared at the Zoo for almost a year to grow large enough to be less vulnerable to predators when released. This “head start” increases their chances of survival in nature.
Prior to their release, each snake receives a microchip which can be used to identify individual snakes in the future when they are encountered or recaptured. The microchip can also assist biologists in tracking the movements of snakes. Each snake was also given a health evaluation, weighed, measured, and photographed to help with future identification.
Finding suitable habitat to return the snakes to the wild is vital to their long-term survival. Release sites in the Kisatchie National Forest feature areas where the snakes have access to underground shelter like gopher burrows and tree stump holes.
With very few wild populations remaining, the Louisiana pine snake is currently listed as endangered by the IUCN and threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The species once occurred throughout western Louisiana and eastern Texas, but poor land management practices over the last century, including fire suppression and extensive logging of longleaf pine habitats for timber have decimated the habitat that is crucial to this species’ survival. Today, only a handful of fragmented populations persist, but ongoing efforts by the U.S. Forestry Service and other agencies and organizations are restoring longleaf pine habitats throughout the region, which will be crucial to conserving the Louisiana pine snake as well as many other threatened species of this unique ecosystem.
“Louisiana pine snakes are an essential part of the longleaf pine ecosystem that is also home to pocket gophers, their primary food source,” said Mallory McKinney, senior herpetology keeper at Audubon Zoo. “Supporting Louisiana pine snake conservation and habitat management of these areas helps native species thrive. We are very excited for our continued participation in this program. ”