Fort Worth Zoo releases rare snakes into the wild
FORT WORTH, Texas - The Fort Worth Zoo recently released rare, endangered snakes into the wild.
The zoo released 55 Louisiana pine snakes that were hatched and raised at the zoo. The snakes were released in the Kisatchie National Forest in Louisiana.
The Fort Worth Zoo is one of four breeding centers for the snakes in the U.S.
Louisiana pine snake (Courtesy: Fort Worth Zoo)
The Louisiana pine snake has been pushed to the brink of extinction by logging and wood harvesting in its forest habitat.
The zoo says 90% of the habitat where the snakes were most commonly found is now gone.
This is the 7th consecutive year that the Fort Worth Zoo has released the snakes into the wild. The 55 snakes released this year is a record high.
The Louisiana pine snake is not venomous.