After hearing about The Buffalo Zoo’s Puerto Rican Crested Toad project – a joint effort with the Toronto Zoo to raise tadpoles in order to then release them in their native Puerto Rican habitat, I decided that I wanted to see the initiative firsthand. Within days I found myself discussing conservation efforts with Penny Felski, The Zoo’s Herpetological Manager and Team Leader.
What makes the conservation program so unusual (and important), is that it is not an exhibit as much as it is a true conservation project between the Buffalo Zoo, The Toronto Zoo (22 zoos across the country total), a slew of conservation groups and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Species Survival Plan (SSP) programs have been developed by the AZA, which help to create roadmaps for the future of critters such as the Crested Toad (partially thanks to the research that the zoos conduct).
Conservationists first learned about the Crested Toad back in the 70s, and by the time of the discovery, the toad populations had already dwindled due to predation, urban sprawl and extreme weather conditions. In 1982 the first toads were captured as a form of conservational intervention, and by 1987 the first batches of tadpoles were being shipped back to the island to be released in more controlled environments, thus hoping to ensure that the populations would rebound.
To me, the nature of this program at The Buffalo Zoo is a game changer as far as my previous stance on zoos. I can honestly say that in my entire life I have only visited our zoo a handful of times, because I’m not a fan of seeing large animals relegated to human controlled environments. At the same time, I have had mixed emotions, knowing that some of our best opportunities to safeguard natural habitats and endangered species can come from the lessons that we learn at the zoos. For animal lovers, we live in a scary time, as weather conditions, poaching, introduction of diseases and predators, and natural land exploitation continue to drive all sorts of species to the brink of extinction.
Learning about the efforts to save the Crested Toad fills me with hope that maybe we can successfully stem the tides of wildlife depletion caused by unnatural and increasingly amplified land and water exploitations. This year The Buffalo Zoo sent over 1400 tadpoles to Puerto Rico, and I understand that the program is having a positive effect on the toad populations (though they are still endangered). Since the program started, over 200,000 tadpoles/toads have been released back into their natural habitats (collectively). None of this would have happened if it had not been for concerned private land owners in Puerto Rico who understand the plight of the toads, and their need for release ponds and breeding ponds. Technological investments by The Buffalo Zoo have also been a big part of the Population Management Plan that requires the most accurate simulated breeding conditions to be met. At this point, years of trial and error beget more efficient practices that are rewarded in higher numbers of frogs surviving the brumation period in preparation for the fertilization stage.
In the end, hopefully there is no end to amphibians such as the Crested Toad. If it were not for programs developed at The Buffalo Zoo, the future of some of the most endangered animals on the planet might be running a different course. Thankfully, there are zoologists who spend their lives researching ways to reverse the catastrophic trends that we are witnessing in the wild. The “success story” of the Crested Toad is just one of many that I hope to cover in months to come.
If you’re interested in the efforts of The Buffalo Zoo, please consider becoming a member (click here for more information).