ABSTRACT - In 2006, a long-term conservation project was initiated for the recovery of endangered turtles Batagur kachuga and Batagur dhongoka along the lower Chambal river. This is based on the collection of eggs from the wild, incubation in a riverside hatchery, and then for most hatchlings release back into the wild within 24 hours of hatching. A sub-set of these hatchlings are reared at the Turtle Conservation Centre, in a specially designed head-starting facility until they weigh up to 1 kg, before release into the wild. A detailed description is given of the design, development and operation of the head-starting facility. Up to 2020, the project had successfully head-started 786 B. kachuga and 66 B. dhongoka. Moreover, this head-starting facility has supplied two conservation colonies, consisting of 50 subadult B. kachuga within the species’ historical range, Kukrail Gharial Rehabilitation Centre and Kanpur Zoological Park, both under the aegis of the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department. The long-term aim of the project is to retore B. kachuga to its former range.

Abstract – Several conservation assessments have proposed that the Kanchanaburi pit viper Trimeresurus kanburiensis is threatened with extinction due to limited distribution, few documented sites and the collection of mature individuals for the international pet trade. No previous study has evaluated these threats comprehensively, nor investigated the natural history of the species in the wild. To address these knowledge gaps, we began with a brief review of wildlife trade reports and then during September–November 2020 we undertook a field study (nearly 100 surveyor hours) using fixed camera recording. We located only a single specimen, a male, whose behaviour, activity pattern and natural history appeared similar to those of other green pit viper species. The general habitat selected by this individual conformed to prior observations although close proximity to a paved road and use of a termite mound were novel. The review of wildlife trade reports did not reveal any seizures or observations, which was likely due to T. kanburiensis not receiving formal international protection and exclusion from stringent local legislation. We recommend further field study, identification of sites of occurrence, and investigation on popular websites and social media platforms that trade in T. kanburiensis and phenotypically similar Thai species. For a Thai language summary of this article see Supplementary material on the BHS website.

Abstract – A four-day herpetofauna survey was undertaken monthly from October 2018 to September 2019 at the Estação Biologia Marinha Augusto Ruschi (EBMAR) nature reserve, a coastal forest remnant in south-eastern Brazil. Each survey involved active visual and auditory searching at night, pitfall traps and incidental observations. This study revealed 31 species of anurans and 28 reptiles. Swamp forest was the most used habitat by these species. Marginal vegetation was the most used microhabitat, followed by leaf litter and bromeliads. Regarding temporal occurrence, 27 (47%) species were occasional, 20 (34%) semi-constant and 11 (19%) constant. Three species are listed as Data Deficient (Chelonoidis carbonarius, Physalaemus signifer and Sphaenorhynchus pauloalvini) and two (3%) as Endangered (Ameivula nativo and Arcovomer passarellii). Thirty-seven (63%) species were recorded during the active survey whereas 11 (17%) were recorded in pitfall traps. The herpetofauna of EBMAR is spatially isolated because the surrounding landscape has been converted to agriculture and human settlement.