Nearly extinct timber rattlesnakes to be bred in Mount Zion, an island in Massachusetts

Timber rattlesnakes are venomous but have nearly gone extinct with hardly 200 available and, hence, there are plans to set up a colony for these reptiles to breed - the site chosen is Mount Zion, an island in the Quabbin Reservoir of Massachusetts. But, the plans has been met with outrage due to fears that the snakes could escape.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 22 February 2016.

These reptiles are indigenous to the New England state, and with only about 200 left, wildlife officials are fighting to save the endangered species. They are timid in nature and strike out when provoked. At present they inhabit five scattered pockets throughout Massachusetts, and it is planned to bring them together on Mount Zion, the largest island in the Quabbin Reservoir. Mount Zion is spread over 1400 acres.
However, the locals are concerned about their own safety because the rattlesnakes can swim and the island is connected to the mainland by a pair of narrow causeways. But, those in charge of the project feel the fears are unfounded - the fact is that it was critical to save the snakes, which could disappear forever due to human-caused deaths and a loss of habitat.
The plan is to raise a handful of snakes at Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, Rhode Island and, once they are mature enough to survive in the wild, they will be placed on the island.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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