Why Captive-Bred Reptiles Should Not Be Used for Restoring Wild Populations


In general, amateur herpetoculturists (reptile breeders and suppliers) believe that captive-born and bred reptiles would make excellent specimens for the reintroduction of rare or extinct species into the wild. There have been some successful reintroduction programs with other animal types and because of this, amateur herpetoculturists feel their stock could be successful as well. However, almost all professional biologists and herpetologists universally agree that stock from amateur herpetoculturists would be too poor of quality for any hope of restoring or resurrecting wild populations.

One of the major problems with captive-bred reptiles is severe inbreeding. Breeders conduct inbreeding to select for desirable physical and behavioral traits quickly. One of the most desirable behavioral trait among captive reptiles is complete domestication so the specimens can be easily handled. This includes specifically selecting for non-aggressive behaviors and lack of fear. For desirable physical traits, breeders specifically select for early maturity, the production of large broods, and unique color patterns.

The downside of all of these inbreeding activities is that the reduction of the genetic pool causes major undesirable physical dilemmas such as the reduction in fertility and viability. Captive-bred reptiles with these problems released in the wild for population recovery purposes will not be able to produce young; or if they are able to reproduce, the young will not be viable, meaning they will not survive for long.

Additionally, released captive-bred specimens can spread diseases to the non-resistant wild populations. This has happened in another population recovery program involving captive-bred desert tortoises. When released into the wild, the captive-bred tortoises spread a respiratory disease to the wild population.

Because of the lack of genetic viability and variation, captive-bred reptiles should not be utilized in a conservation program revitalizing endangered reptile populations.