Giant leap in frog numbers
Symbio is celebrating a frogging triumph! An endangered species breeding program – which started with 18 green and golden bell frogs four years ago – has become a 13,000-strong success story for the zoo and its conservation allies at Transport...
Symbio is celebrating a frogging triumph!
An endangered species breeding program – which started with 18 green and golden bell frogs four years ago – has become a 13,000-strong success story for the zoo and its conservation allies at Transport for NSW.
The green and golden bell frog (Litoria aurea) is a highly mobile, extremely tolerant amphibian that likes to live in marshes, dams and stream-sides.
It used to be common in Sydney but since the 1970s numbers have plummeted.
Land degradation and feral predatory fish such as the plague minnow have taken a toll. But the biggest threat to the frogs’ survival remains Chytrid Fungus, an introduced disease.
To help save the species, Symbio began working with Roads and Maritime Services (now Transport for NSW) in 2015. Our goal was to set up Symbio’s first amphibian breeding facility and build an insurance population. Meanwhile, in the heart of Sydney, TfNSW was establishing safe ponds for the tadpoles born in captivity.
On 10 February 2017, the program launched with 18 frogs. Today, we’ve bred and released more than 13,000 tadpoles! And surveys show the green and golden bell frog is once again thriving in the wild.
