When an endangered species becomes so imperiled that extinction seems imminent, scientists may have no choice but to collect the last wild individuals and create a captive breeding program. Condors in California, red wolves in North Carolina, and black-footed ferrets in Colorado have all been saved from extinction through captive propagation. In the rural expanse of cropland and turf grass that covers the intersection between Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana, an endangered subspecies of watersnake will soon receive this same treatment—that is, if any still exist. Despite intensive surveys to relocate them, a live copper-bellied watersnake has not been seen since 2019. Now, in a bid to save the copperbelly, the US Fish and Wildlife Service is partnering with the Toledo Zoo to find and capture any remaining individuals to foster the next generation. But can a last ditch captive breeding program save the midwest’s rarest snake?

​

Published in The Guardian February 2023