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For years government and private agencies throughout the west have participated in the relocation of desert pests including venomous reptiles at the request of homeowners and businesses. The relocation of these animals is perceived by the general public and the agencies involved as a humanitarian way of dealing with the problems associated with habitat loss.
Through an Arizona Game and Fish Department Heritage Grant we studied the demographics, mortality, movement levels and the risk of vipirid paromyxovirus transmission in a group of one hundred rattlesnakes (Crotalus spp.) moved by a private fire department from human habitations and businesses as a service to their subscribers in areas around Tucson.
Activity ranges were documented in nine snakes implanted with telemetry transmitters. Twenty snakes were tested for the presence of the humeral antibodies to the vipirid paromyxovirus. Ninety seven snakes were marked with Passive Integrated Transponders before release to insure identification and subsequent analysis of recapture data.
When compared to previous reports on non-translocated rattlesnakes, individual mortality was high, and a majority of snakes showed increased size in their activity ranges. We found no elevated titer for the vipirid paromyxovirus. No information was obtain from recaptured snakes.
Although the cooperation by our local fire departments was exemplary, there are no guidelines for the translocation of reptiles. Nor are there any educational programs in place to deal with the problems of venomous reptile-human interactions.
In response to concern about the welfare of the animals (human and reptile) and the ecological consequences of translocation, the Tucson Herpetological Society in cooperation with the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center has produced informational brochures and guidelines for both the general public and agencies and businesses that deal with desert pests. Our data supports proposed Arizona Game and Fish Department rule changes on Wildlife Service Licenses (R12-4-421).