Ohio's Toledo Zoo Works To Save Wyoming Toads

By Cyndi Condit 

Toledo, OH - Over a decade ago, the Wyoming toad was thought to be extinct in the wild, but thanks in part to the efforts of The Toledo Zoo, this endangered amphibian is making a comeback. On June 29, the Zoo shipped 304 tadpoles to Wyoming, where they have been released into one of the reproduction sites in Albany County. These tadpoles were part of two separate breedings that occurred at The Toledo Zoo.

The Toledo Zoo has been at the forefront of Wyoming toad conservation efforts since 1994. Currently the Zoo’s Val Hornyak is acting species coordinator for the Wyoming toad Species Survival Plan (SSP), a cooperative breeding and conservation program under the auspices of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Through the SSP, institutions across the country are working to ensure a healthy and genetically diverse zoo population for the toad. The Wyoming toad reintroduction program is a joint effort between the AZA’s SSP, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wyoming Game and Fish Department and the U.S. National Fish Hatchery in Saratoga, Wyoming.

Great progress has been made toward the conservation of the Wyoming toad, and according to the Zoo’s Curator of Herpetology Andy Odum, “Propagation efforts like the one taking place at The Toledo Zoo are an essential component to the plan to save this species from extinction.”

The Toledo Zoo is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is located on the Anthony Wayne Trail (US 25), four miles south of downtown Toledo. For more information, please visit www.toledozoo.org or call (419) 385-4040. Lucas County residents are admitted free of charge each Monday from 10 a.m. to noon. ID showing proof of residency is required.

The Toledo Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA). Look for the AZA logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you, and a better future for all living things. With its more than 200 accredited members, AZA is building North America’s largest wildlife conservation movement.

To view Toledo Zoo's web page on Zoo and Aquarium Visitor, go to: http://www.zandavisitor.com/forumtopicdetail-50-Toledo_Zoo