Translocated males exhibited significantly greater average daily movements than the resident ones. Furthermore, all translocated males\u00a0undertook long-distance, unidirectional movements\u00a0away from the release site. One of the males even\u00a0returned to the site\u00a0from which it had been moved, a distance of over\u00a0half a kilometre which involved crossing large areas of unsuitable short grassland habitat. This could have exposed the snake to predators.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, the research also showed\u00a0a significant difference between how male and female adders reacted\u00a0to being moved. Translocated males had significantly larger total ranges of movement than resident animals. In contrast, all translocated\u00a0females remained within 50 metres of the point of release.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Professor Griffiths said, “It is clear that moving adders due to development is not as helpful to their conservation as people think. Our research suggests the dispersal of male snakes from the release site may\u00a0increase the risk of mortality of snakes\u00a0that have been moved from development sites and reduces the likelihood of establishing a new population. It may be\u00a0time for a new approach. Encouraging the establishment of new home ranges within the boundaries of release sites\u00a0may need mechanisms to prevent dispersal\u00a0immediately following release.”<\/p>\n![\"Adder](\"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/sac-news-events\/files\/2018\/10\/Adder_Tracked_cropped-300x201.jpg\")