RAUK - Archived Forum - Adder Translocation

I would back up Tony's statement.

Last year we never got to the bottom of a news story on BBC Radio Derby about adders translocated from a road scheme site in their radio station catchment area (North Staffs and southern 2/3 of Derbyshire). According to one of my toad crossing co-ordinators, who heard the broadcast some weeks before he told me, they were taken to Cumbria (approx 150 miles away) to be released. WHY???? There are suitable sites within their local range, where they used to occur, which now have appropriate management and ownership so that the reasons for their original extinction no longer apply.

Does anyone really know how much of this sort of movement currently goes on in this country.

PS What does "Natural England are aware of the project" mean? Are they supporting it officially or financially.

Is this the announcement we have be waiting for? I would not translocate adder outside their home range. Also, in which county is the receptor site Graeme? I'm sure we would all be interested to know.

Chris, I think you are looking at the tip of an ice burg regarding long range translocations that seem to have very little logical explanation (other than perhaps it was convenient)

Chris

Try this link to adders which were moved from the A74 road scheme - might be a case of Radio Derby mis-reporting the A74 work - maybe not!

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/newsrele.nsf/WebPressReleases/C22 C518DDA31A0E48025717300424F3D

I would echo the views of Tony/Chris/Gemma here on the option of long distance translocation - any 'scientific' studies pertaining to translocated animals could be just as easily carried out on animals translocated within their home range. Mind you, I'm not sure what you can measure that might be attributed directly to the effects of translocation, other than perhaps a notable mortality (food availability ?, predation ?, stress ?), dispersal (adaptability to a new environment ?, stress ?), reproductive issues (mortality, dispersal)

All of these problems could obviously also be present in many 'sub-optimum' populations that have never been translocated, and so I am fairly cautious about any prospective studies that set out to 'benchmark' the success, or otherwise, of translocation.

I agree John, any project to gauge the success of a translocation needs a great deal of work. I carried out a very short distance translocation of adder in 2005. It was a success mainly because we identified the hibernation site and simply moved them from a foraging area back 'home'. With a bit of thoughtful timing this worked well. I didn't have much opportunity for follow-up but a good proportion were identified as having overwintered successfully (along with many more that were never part of the mitigation). The foraging area was only subjected to some low impact maintenance work, and later restored.

I cannot see any merit in distant translocation of adder and hope Graeme has this mind with his open call for adders that 'need' translocation. In particular I see very different habitats in my work that adder will use, this doesn't in my mind suggest that they can be mixed and matched.. heathland isn't chalk grassland etc etc so choice of a receptor site is never an easy thing for adder. In my mind it should always reflect the donor site or indeed already be part of the animals home range.

Translocating adders any great distance is a big NO NO (the newforest to Bedford trans' aside) -

Where abouts is the receptor site Graeme?

I have adders on most of my sites this year but none of them will be moved greater than 1km into the surrounding habitats found at each site - which is preferrable to 'bucket and dumping' them onto external receptor sites or rounding them up into a small in situ holding area.

What are your aims and objectives Graeme?

JC 

Because that happened and it shouldnt really of happened like it did - so that aside because it appears that the animals are now breeding on the site......it was a relocation of baby adders mind so they may have a better chance of settling into the new habitat

though of course this means that genetic stock from the New Forest reptiliary which may have come from other parts and not just the new forest are now residing in Bedfordshire!

JC

Graeme are youy there?

What bothers me and I'm sure Graeme has all this in hand, is why is the site being defined as suitable for an adder translocation, with no adders to translocate as yet it appears.

I would have thought

a) If it is suitable they are already there or

b) it is isolated from any existing adder and therefore not suitable for a translocation at all, considering that the main problem facing adder is isolation from other populations - no conservation gain in creating another isolated population?

Would be nice to know Graeme what is planned.

Graeme, you have been 'working on adder projects for thirty years' surely you would have enough data from this extensive time period to answer some questions relating to adder translocations?

It seems to be a bit odd to offer a 'receptor site' to consultants when they should be keeping their adders in their local area - which can be done with relocation and short distance translocation - there is no need to send them off to your site at all is there?

JC

Seems this thread wasn't aimed at debate at all, lots of questions no answers. Oh well we'll all just have to keep bumping it to the top of the pile until Graeme explains it all to us.

What's the announcement then Slippery42????