Endangered Puerto Rican crested toad tadpoles released into the wild.

25/08/2006 00:00:00 The Puerto Rican crested toad, with its distinctive, upturned snout, warty skin, and gold-coloured eyes, has declined dramatically in number. Formerly found in both Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, the toad now only occurs in Guanica State Forest, in Puerto Rico. Loss of habitat, and threats from introduced species such as the mongoose, rat, and the giant marine toad, the last of which competes with the Puerto Rican crested toad for the same resources have all contributed to this serious decline. A reintroduction program to save the Puerto Rican crested toad has been helped by a very successful breeding plan run by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). Specifically, animal husbandry experts from WCS have successfully reared nearly 500 tadpoles at the Central Park Zoo and recently released them in Puerto Rico's Guanica State Forest.

‘The release went well, and we're hoping that this new generation of toads can help secure a future for this species’ said Bruce Foster, Collections Manager for WCS' Central Park Zoo, where some 475 healthy tadpoles were successfully reared for the reintroduction effort. ‘Puerto Rico is an island of great natural beauty, and protecting the natural inhabitants of the island is an important part of preserving that beauty.’

Foster flew to Puerto Rico with the tadpoles and met with other participants at the release site: a manmade pond in Guanica State Forest. Combined contributions from the Fort Worth Zoo, the Buffalo Zoo, and the Sedgwick County Zoo meant that a total of 2,700 tadpoles were released into the pond. The project is also supported by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Puerto Rican Department of Natural Resources.

‘Only a small percentage of tadpoles reach adulthood, so releasing huge numbers of tadpoles is key to a successful reintroduction effort,’ said Diane Barber, Curator of Ectotherms at the Fort Worth Zoo. ‘The good news is we're starting to see evidence of success. Last year we witnessed the largest breeding event in 20 years at another site and the current wild population estimate is 1,000 toads, up from only 300 from a few years ago.’

The species is now listed as Threatened on the U.S. Endangered Species Act, and as Critically Endangered according to the World Conservation Union (IUCN). ‘Participating in SSP initiatives like the Puerto Rican crested toad project is one way that zoos are helping to stop the global loss of amphibian species,’ added Foster. ‘To date, over 200 species of frogs, toads and salamanders have disappeared with another 1,000 species threatened with extinction.’