Albino butlers found.Going to a museum eventually.

[Selkielass]

Anyone heard how this little fellow is doing, or if he is on display?

[ConcinusMan]

The guy who found it and was given permission to keep it for a time, is more active on field herp forum than he is here. Maybe look there for updates, but last I heard, the snake was doing well. I would log in and ask for an update but I can't remember my password. I'll get around to fixing that eventually.

[ProXimuS]

Wow, this snake is awesome. Never seen an albino Butler's.

[Selkielass]

I really wish one would pop up in Michigan, so I left could try to start a line of easily identifiable captive bred Butlers. The smaller, worm eating snakes are a big hit with teachers, but state protections make things tricky.

[ConcinusMan]

Not just tricky, but impossible. The only reasons this one is going into captivity is that it's albino, and for educational reasons. It will not be allowed to breed in captivity or in the wild. Being in a museum ensures that.

[Selkielass]

Impossible in Ohio, Wisconsin and Canada.
Possible, but restricted in Michigan. Michigan butlers may be kept in other states /areas that permit keeping non native species.
It's a shame this fellows genes aren't likely to get out.

[ConcinusMan]

It's quite probable that they already are (it took both parents to contribute the gene, and there are probably surviving siblings) but only the finder (and perhaps DNR) knows the exact location.

[Selkielass]

Yeah, but still stuck in that location- no removing snakes for captive breeding programs and landowners wouldn't want a breed and release program there because the presence of Butlers severely restricts land use and development.

Well, I can still hope an albino gene turns up in my local population. Is a faint hope, but well...

[ConcinusMan]

Yeah, but still stuck in that location- no removing snakes for captive breeding programs and landowners wouldn't want a breed and release program there because the presence of Butlers severely restricts land use and development.

Doesn't really matter that the land developers wouldn't want a breed and release program because neither do the people responsible for conserving the snakes. Captive breeding and releasing does nothing to help the species. In fact, it can so plenty to hurt them. They would only do that if they're on the edge of abyss. As in, no hope of recovery or sustainability. As in, past the point of no return on their own. Look what they did with the California Condor. Even then, they didn't do captive breeding and release into the wild. All they did was collect eggs already in the wild, and then make sure they survived before releasing them. Even if they did this with the snakes, it wouldn't be a good idea. And that's because it does more harm than good to increase a population when the habitat already supports all the numbers it can.