Corroboree Frog
In the battle to save the Southern Corroboree Frog, Taronga Zoo for the first time successfully bred the species for reintroduction in to the wild.
The Southern Corroboree Frog is Critically Endangered with fewer than 150 left in the Kosciusko highlands. It is estimated that the species will be extinct in the wild in the next five to 10 years.
It is estimated that there are fewer than 150 Corroboree Frogs left in the Kosciusko highlands and numbers are continuing to dwindle due to the deadly amphibian chytrid fungus.
Chytrid is a water-born pathogen responsible for the decline of amphibian species across the globe, attacking their skin which they depend on to breathe. The fungus invades the amphibian’s skin cells, disrupting electrolyte levels which leads to a cardiac standstill.
A handful of disease-free wild-laid eggs and juveniles from the Snowy Mountains were placed in the Zoo’s cold storage units which are refurbished shipping containers that are completely sealed and perfect for quarantine to keep the deadly fungus out.
By the finish of this year’s breeding season, Herpetofauna Keepers had located six nests in the peat moss-covered breeding enclosures. This second season has produced more fertile eggs than individuals that exist in the wild. About 136 of the 437 eggs appear to be fertile with developing tadpoles visible inside the clear eggs.
Taronga Zoo is the third agency to breed the species along with the Amphibian Research Centre in Victoria and Melbourne Zoo.
Innovative chytrid-free tubs were set above natural swamps by the NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water. These pools act as mini-Noah’s Arks where the Zoo- bred eggs can hatch into tadpoles and bypass the vulnerable juvenile stage when they are most susceptible to the fungus – potentially improving overall survivorship of the species in the wild.
Once the tadpoles have metamorphosed into frogs they were able to hop up a ramp and migrate into their natural habitat.
With Taronga Zoo, NSW Department of Climate Change and Water, and the Amphibian Research Centre in Victoria all working towards successfully re-introducing the species, the challenge for next year’s breeding season is improving the fertility rates.
