NEWS
I N TH E W I L D FIGHTING CHYTRID IN THE FIELD The deadly chytrid fungus has driven the decline of over 200 species of amphibian worldwide, including the mountain chicken frog. With only two mountain chickens remaining on their native Montserrat, novel methods are urgently required to enable reintroductions in the face of such irreversible threats. Chytrid is known to have a narrow thermal tolerance, not being able to withstand temperatures above 29°C. Using this knowledge, Durrell scientists have been able to put together a reintroduction plan for the mountain chicken based on enclosed habitat manipulation. The semi-wild enclosures in Montserrat have been designed so that our scientists can artificially change the temperature of certain areas to mitigate the spread of infection – a world first in a wild setting. In 2018, we repurposed an old volcano shelter on the island as an insect-breeding centre to provide food for the enclosed frogs in lean times and provided training to three local forestry officers in captive insect breeding. We have also trialed techniques for sustainably heating the outdoor ponds and measuring the rate of chytrid found in these areas in comparison to the unheated habitat. Reintroductions of captive bred mountain chickens are planned to take place in July 2019.
CONSERVATION SUCCESS FOR MAURITIAN REPTILES The Red List of Threatened Species, compiled by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), is the most widely recognised assessment of the global conservation status of species. Moving down this list indicates a species is becoming less at risk of extinction, which represents a major conservation achievement often involving years of concerted effort. We are pleased to announce that two species, the Round Island boa (Casarea dussumieri) and Günther’s gecko (Phelsuma guentheri), have made this move towards conservation safety as populations are increasing and becoming more secure. Key actions that have led to this improvement include the removal of goats and rabbits from Round Island in the 1970s, the restoration of native flora and the establishment of new populations of both species on other islands. However, work doesn’t stop there. These populations are still extremely vulnerable and efforts to continue their restoration are central to our rewilding plans for the offshore islands of Mauritius.
PL ANNING UNDERWAY IN ST LUCIA Our St Lucia Racer appeal raised over £10,000, which is a fantastic result. Thanks to your generous donations, we have launched our effort to save the Critically Endangered St Lucia racer snake alongside our partners Flora and Fauna International, the Saint Lucia National Trust and the Government of Saint Lucia. The first step will be to establish a facility to breed the snakes in captivity to ensure the survival of the species. A planning workshop for the project took place in January which was attended by Dr Nik Cole, who leads our Mauritian islands recovery work, Matt Goetz, our Head of Herpetology in Jersey, and Luke Jones, who is setting up a facility for mountain chicken frogs on the Caribbean island of Montserrat. They agreed on the final designs for the centre, the key steps needed to build it, how to establish a food source for the snakes and how to remove snakes from the wild population. This process is due to take place over a two-year period. After the breeding facility is built it will be managed with no snakes for up to a year, which is essential to make sure it is ready to receive the racer snakes before they are introduced in the second year. In the meantime, Saphira Hunt, who works for both the St Lucia National Trust and Durrell, will survey the remaining wild snakes to track changes in the wild population. With fewer than 20 individuals remaining in the wild this is a truly ‘Durrell’ project that is using expertise from across the organisation to save endangered species.
SET TING OUR SIGHTS HIGH! In April 2019, we began trialling a new method of monitoring Alaotran gentle lemurs at Lake Alaotra in Madagascar – by drone! The method has been developed with partners at Liverpool John Moores University and piloted with our captive lemur population in Jersey. If this initial piloting phase is successful, a plan will be developed for the first range-wide drone survey of the species. Using drones instead of traditional distance sampling methods from canoe, will allow our team to survey across the entire range of the species, producing more reliable population data and ultimately helping us to improve our conservation strategies in Alaotra.
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