It is believed that there are no more than 75 adult mountain yellow-legged frogs in Southern California.
Mountain Yellow-legged Frog
Recovery Program
In April 2005, representatives from California Department of Fish & Game, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), U.S. Forest Service, and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) met with staff from the San Diego Zoo's Herpetological Department and CRES. The goal was to develop a captive breeding and translocation plan for the only remaining frogs known from the San Bernardino Mountains, as part of an integrated program of captive propagation, headstarting, and release that will ensure the long-term viability of the species in the wild.
The original goal of the program was to attempt captive-breeding of three adult pairs at CRES in large aquaria equipped with specialized filtration and chiller units to provide the frogs with a normal range of winter temperatures. Seven adult frogs were transferred to CRES, but all died due to pre-existing infection. After meetings with the government agencies listed above, it was decided that CRES provided optimal care and the best environment and expertise to manage this species and would be primarily responsible for captive propagation of the species. Removal of individuals in the wild would be at the discretion of USGS and USFWS biologists, but would include both tadpoles and adult frogs.
In August 2006, 75 tadpoles were emergency salvaged from a drying streambed and transferred to the care of CRES. All of the tadpoles will remain at CRES to establish a captive breeding program once they reach reproductive age. To reduce the risks associated with keeping all of the animals at one facility, other zoos have volunteered to establish breeding groups of these frogs as well, once they all reach maturity. Once successful breeding has taken place in captivity and suitable habitat is available in the wild, froglets produced at CRES and in other zoos will be released back into the wild. The project will end when USFWS determines that captive propagation is no longer useful for recovery efforts, an outcome that is expected to be more than 10 years in the future.
More
News archives:
- Endangered Mountain Yellow-legged Tadpoles Turning into Frogs at San Diego Zoo
- CRES Scientist Fights Deadly Amphibian Fungus in Panama
Projects:
- Pathology of Chytrid Fungi and Their Role in the Global Decline of Amphibians
- Banking Genome Biomaterials of Terrestrial Vertebrates: Adding Amphibians to the Ark
Blogs:
