The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, under the Endangered Species Recovery Implementation program (CFDA 15.657), awarded a $232,668 Project Grant to the Memphis Zoological Society (doing business as Elephant's Trunk) to support the recovery of the endangered Louisiana Pinesnake. The key products and services to be delivered through this 2-year grant (June 2024 - May 2026) include:
Improving cryopreservation and artificial insemination technologies to preserve in-situ genetic diversity and increase captive genetic diversity of the Louisiana Pinesnake. Constructing a multigenerational genomic pedigree of the captive population and determining founder representation in the reintroduced wild population to inform management decisions. Detecting the presence of snake fungal disease and cryptosporidium in wild and captive Louisiana Pinesnakes to develop strong release protocols that protect natural populations from disease. Conducting an experimental release to optimize the success of the Louisiana Pinesnake reintroduction program. Developing and testing environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling methods to identify undocumented wild populations and inform selection of future release sites.
The Memphis Zoological Society is collaborating with Fort Worth Zoo, Ellen Trout Zoo, Audubon Zoo, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the University of Illinois on this comprehensive conservation research project.