Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Endangered Species Rescued

By - - and IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

TEGUCIGALPA, Jun 30 2003 (IPS) - At least 12 endangered species of snakes have been bred at a center to rescue wildlife in peril operating here in the Honduran capital. In its three years in operation, the Jorge Armando Ferrari Rescue Center for Reptiles and Amphibians of Honduras – formed by a group of young volunteers – has sheltered many species, among them the pink boa, native to Honduras and also found in the Caribbean Islands of Cayos Cochinos.

Species like the snapping turtle that can live as long as 150 years are returned to their habitat after they are bred, said Flavio Flores, the biologist in charge of the center.

“We have a long way to go but we have begun saving species threatened by smuggling and by ignorance, species that are killed by people who do not know whether or not they are harmless,” he added.