Phoenix Zoo release threatened gartersnakes into Canyon Creek to rebuild population

A couple of weeks ago, the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) and the Phoenix Zoo reached a milestone in their goal to restore the gartersnake population with the release of 21 narrow-headed gartersnakes into the wild.

While the Phoenix Zoo’s breeding program is celebrating the 100th gartersnake released, the total number of snakes released is up to 118, according to Ruth Allard, the Zoo’s senior vice president for conservation science, learning and engagement.

“This is much more than a milestone— it highlights the dedication to establishing a thriving breeding program for this finicky species,” Mason Ryan, AZGFD’s species of greatest conservation need projects coordinator, said in a news release. “Because of the Department’s partnership with the Phoenix Zoo, we have the ability to put more snakes on the landscape to augment low density populations and reestablish populations that have disappeared.”

The snakes were released into Canyon Creek among the ponderosa pines of the Mogollon Rim and will be passively monitored throughout the summer by researchers at the University of Arizona using unique microchips and tracking arrays set up along the creek.

Gartersnakes are a native species in Arizona. They were added to the endangered species list in 2021, and the Phoenix Zoo’s breeding program is working to revitalize and protect the population.

“Over the years, we have refined our care for the gartersnakes, including housing them in habitats that closely mimic their semi-aquatic environment and managing them in social groups,” Whitney Heuring, the Phoenix Zoo’s conservation and science manager, said. “This has led to successful breeding with 16 litters born since 2009.

“We are thrilled that our success at the Phoenix Zoo is benefiting wild populations, and look forward to continuing to contribute to species recovery.”

Gartersnakes are nonvenomous and range from a blue-gray to an olive color with reddish spots.

“They’re known for being small. They’re very slender,” Allard told KTAR News 92.3 FM. “They have their name, the narrow-headed garter snake, because they have this kind of arrow-shaped head, and that helps them move through the water. They’re primarily fish eaters.”

The main threats to gartersnakes are habitat loss, drought and competition and predation from non-native, invasive fish. The snakes live in an aquatic environment, which is why it’s more difficult for them to thrive in Arizona.

Then, when you mix in other threats, narrow-headed gartersnakes are facing an uphill battle, explained Allred. Their main food source is smaller fish and tadpoles, but some non-native fish are dangerous for them to eat.

“If you’re a fish eater and you’re used to eating fish that have a floppier dorsal fin or one that can kind of drop down as you chomp on it, if you get hold of something that sticks up and gets stuck in your throat, you’re in big trouble,” Allard said.

The AZGFD and Phoenix Zoo have found success with the Zoo’s breeding program to help repopulate the narrow-headed gartersnakes, but it’s a ongoing battle.

“Species recovery is wrought with challenges that can sometimes seem insurmountable because we can’t always mitigate threats,” Ryan said. “At the onset of the program, the unknowns far outweighed what we knew, because there is no field guide for this work.”

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