PIONEER PRESS (Saint Paul, Minnesota) 07 July 11 Como Park Zoo in St. Paul helps bring rare Wyoming toad back from brink of extinction (Miles Trump)
Como Park Zoo released its most critically endangered amphibian - the Wyoming toad - back into the wild Thursday.
In an effort to preserve the rare toad, the St. Paul zoo placed more than 1,300 tadpoles in oxygenated water Wednesday and shipped them overnight to be released near the Mortenson Lake National Wildlife Refuge outside Laramie, Wyo. The toad is one of the rarest in the world.
"It's an amazing opportunity," said Bree Barney, Wyoming toad zookeeper at the Como Zoo. "Working with an endangered species is pretty phenomenal."
The 1.5-ounce toad was placed on the endangered species list in 1984 and was feared to be extinct until researchers found one in the late 1980s near Lake Mortensen in Wyoming. In 1996, the toad became part of an aggressive species preservation plan.
The Como Zoo has joined forces with eight others in a captive-breeding program that releases Wyoming toads and tadpoles into the wild each year. The zoos participate in the Species Survival Plan and must be accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Como Zoo received 11 Wyoming toads in June 2010 to be bred. This is the first year the Como Zoo has released its captive population of tadpoles. A tadpole, the youngest form of a toad, transforms into an adult toad after it develops limbs and lungs.
"The Wyoming toads play an important part in Como's mission. Since these projects usually go on behind the scenes, people are often surprised to hear how involved Como Zoo is in species preservation," Como Campus Director Michelle Furrer said in a statement. "But Como Zoo, along with many other zoos, are really striving to make a difference in conservation."
The toads live in a special room in the zoo's Animal Support Building. Breeding begins in April, when a hibernation chamber simulates the toads' natural habitat for more than five weeks, Barney said. Then, males and females are paired for 24 hours for breeding, she said. In one year, Como Zoo has doubled its number of Wyoming toads to 22.
The zoo received an $8,000 grant from the Frog Crossing Foundation last spring to help fund equipment and training to take care of the toads. With the money, Barney was able to travel to the Amphibian School in Toledo, Ohio, "to learn exactly how to take care of captive populations of amphibians" and to Laramie to do field research.
Como Park Zoo in St. Paul helps bring rare Wyoming toad back from brink of extinction