A first in Canada - Reptilia Hatches Green Mambas!

 

 

Early in the morning on August 7th, Lee Parker discovered one newly hatched Green Mamba.  By the end of the day on August 8th all but two of the eggs had hatched.  This is the first time Green Mambas have been successfully hatched in Canada.

 

As a zoo display animal, green mambas have all the qualities that the average zoo visitor appreciates.  People like to see beautiful animals, active animals, and dangerous animals.  Green mambas meet all three requirements!  A year ago when we were searching for domestically bred green mambas for our zoo we could only find wild caught specimens. 

 

Furthermore, we found that there were other zoos looking for captive bred green mambas.  We decided to purchase a pair of established wild caught specimens and hopefully get them to breed.

 

Unfortunately, few zoos attempt to breed these snakes as they are not an endangered species.  Waiting for animals to become endangered before establishing a viable domestic breeding program is a flawed approach that ensures that everything will eventually become endangered.  Common, easily accessible animals must be seen to have value before they are rare.  That is why we attempt to breed any species that is currently being imported from the wild to be sold to private keepers and zoos.