ROYAL OAK, Mich. (WXYZ) — In an effort to restore wild amphibian populations, the Detroit Zoo sent almost 8,000 Puerto Rican crested toad tadpoles to a Puerto Rican biological reserve on Wednesday.
The Detroit Zoo has sent almost 84,000 tadpoles to Puerto Rico over the past 10 years. The National Amphibian Conservation Center at the Detroit Zoo is the only major facility that conserves and exhibits amphibians.
In Puerto Rico, the toads are monitored by a captive breeding program which has previously boosted the wild population. Fifteen of the tadpoles are still at the conservation center for future breeding.
The Puerto Rican crested toad can flatten itself to fit into small crevices and is 3 to 4 inches long. The toad is currently threatened by extinction as a result of environmental factors including climate change, pollution and habitat loss.
“These tadpoles represent hope for this critically endangered species,” Dr. Ruth Marcec-Greaves, director of the National Amphibian Conservation Center, said in a press release. “Many amphibian species, such as the Puerto Rican crested toad, are declining and would not survive in the wild without captive breeding programs. This release will significantly bolster the number of these toads in their natural environment.”
Amphibian staff at the Detroit Zoo worked for more than six hours to make sure the tadpoles reached Puerto Rico safely, filling fish-shipping bags with oxygen and placing the tadpoles in padded, insulated shipping boxes.
“It was all hands on deck as the amphibian staff counted and packed thousands of tiny tadpoles,” Marcec-Greaves said.
