The Detroit Zoo is sending nearly 7,000 Puerto Rican crested toad tadpoles to a rainforest in Puerto Rico as part of an effort to aid in the species' recovery.
According to the Detroit Zoo, 6,855 tadpoles are set to be released at Rio Encantado, which is a rainforest area in Manati, Puerto Rico.
The effort is part of the longest-running amphibian reintroduction program in the world to help the recovery of the Puerto Rican crested toad, which is a critically endangered amphibian only found in Puerto Rico.
“Each of these tadpoles represents a lot of care, coordination and hope,” Detroit Zoo Curator of Amphibians Mark Vassallo said in a statement. “For our team, it’s incredibly meaningful to know that work happening here at the Detroit Zoo can help support the future of a species in Puerto Rico. Amphibians are facing serious challenges globally, and efforts like this show how zoos and the communities that support them can play an important role in protecting vulnerable wildlife.”
The toads rely heavily on healthy habitat and temporary freshwater pools to breed. In all, the zoo has raised and released 143,195 tadpoles to date as part of the effort.
