Four of six captive-bred broad-headed snakes lived through their first months wild

At least four of six captive-bred broad-headed snakes were still alive months after they were returned to rocky habitat in the Shoalhaven, the University of Technology Sydney reported on November 6, 2026. Professor Jonathan Webb, who has studied the species for 34 years, is leading the trial with Aussie Ark and Traditional Owners of the Shoalhaven. The snakes went out in mid-May 2026, under artificial rocks designed by Benjamin Croak to match the crevices and warmth of natural rock. The snakes are nocturnal and shelter there by day.

Eight snakes have been bred since the Aussie Ark program started in October 2024. Two were kept back because of their genes. Webb said reintroducing captive-bred animals is hard because young snakes can be eaten by kookaburras, other snakes, cats, or foxes. His long watch of a population in Morton National Park, south of Sydney, found a drop of about 64 percent by 2023 after drought and the 2020 fires. Females breed only every two or three years, so a small loss takes a long time to replace.

The university called the release a world first and said the early results are encouraging. The checked result is survival of at least four of the six through the first months, tracked in fortnightly surveys, with Indigenous rangers helping. It is a pilot. It is not yet a growing wild population, and Webb said the next years are for restoring habitat and releasing more snakes at chosen sites.