At Reptile Gardens, we are dedicated to preserving vital wildlife habitats, especially the native lands of many of our animals, including the wetlands and rain forests. Our goal is to conserve amphibians and reptiles and their habitats through involvement in environmental organizations and conservation projects.
Hundreds of reptiles are endangered or at risk of being endangered. However, there are many steps that can be taken to combat this growing problem such as breeding endangered reptiles, creating sanctuaries, and increasing the understanding of reptiles and their habitats.
The Reptile Gardens’ team has made special donations to various environmental conservation organizations including the Charles Darwin Center and the Gharial Conservation Alliance.
The Charles Darwin Foundation is a world-class research organization aimed at the conservation of the environment and biodiversity of the Galapagos Islands ecosystem. The Galapagos Islands and Marine Reserve contain a unique combination of land and oceanic ecosystems with many distinct habitats. Galapagos is one of the best-conserved tropical oceanic archipelagos in the world. Humans have also become part of the Galapagos ecosystem providing the challenge of integrating the human population while limiting the impact on this unique environment.
For more information on the CDF go to www.darwinfoundation.org
The Gharial Conservation Alliance is an international organization dedicated to saving gharials, one of two surviving members of the long established group of crocodile-like reptiles with long, narrow jaws, from extinction. Conservation efforts of the GCA include captive breeding and restocking programs, education, awareness and government lobbying.
For more information on the GCA go to www.gharialconservation.org
The money donated to these conservation organizations helps to protect the natural wildlife of these spectacular environments.
Reptile Gardens is also involved with a unique project started by Australian David Williams. The Papua New Guinea Snakebite Research Project is aimed at improving the prognosis of Papua New Guinea snakebite victims. Papua New Guinea has among some of the highest snakebite incidences in the world with a high mortality rate. The hope is to develop a new, more affordable antivenom that can be stable and properly managed so snakebites don’t automatically result in a death sentence for the people of Papua New Guinea.
For more information on the Papua New Guinea Snakebite Project go to www.kingsnake.com
Through its involvement in these conservation efforts, Reptile Gardens hopes to be a leader in creating a sustainable environment right here in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Staff members at the reptile park have reevaluated their impact on the environment, enthusiastically joining the environmental conservation movement.
