Taronga Zoo is re-establishing Australia’s Booroolong frog population with a $178,000 (US$127, 000) breeding facility funded by the Australian New South Wales (NSW) government.
Booroolong frogs are a critically endangered species, native to the New South Wales (NSW) Northern Tablelands, that were almost wiped out by a severe drought in 2019 which dried up their stream habitats.
“The extended drought we had in northern NSW certainly had a big impact on this species,” unit supervisor of the Taronga Zoo Herpetofauna Department, Michael McFadden told AAP. “It’s evident they probably disappeared from some of the local streams they were found in.”
To revive the species, Taronga Zoo rescued 58 of the rare frogs from their dried up habitats, with the help of the Australian Museum and the NSW government program, Saving Our Species, and moved them to a breeding facility.
“That was almost all we could find of the species at the time,” McFadden told AAP.
The NSW government jumped at the chance to help save this species and funded the construction of an upgraded enclosure, giving the zoo the $178,000 required to build the habitat, through their Saving Our Species program.
The upgraded artificial habitat has advanced features, such as special UV lighting, temperature controls that mimic the changing seasons, and flowing water, that can accurately replicate the frogs’ natural habitat.
This facility is very important for the dwindling Booroolong frog population as there are multiple factors in the wild such as drought, fire, lack of viable habitat and chyrtrid fungus that could bring the species to extinction.
The frogs only live for one breeding season and under the current conditions, without help, the frogs could fail to breed because of these conditions and will become extinct.
The extinction of any species is significant McFadden said because the loss will negatively affect the native ecosystem.
“Most species have a huge role in the ecosystem, and some of the smaller even less conspicuous ones, just say a small common species of frog, the role they play in the ecosystem is absolutely huge,” McFadden said. “So keeping all of those species, I guess, persistent in the wild and to make sure they continue their role is absolutely amazing.”
The NSW Environment Minister James Griffin has said that the government is pleased to have been able to establish an insurance population of the frogs, who are now thriving in the new enclosure.
“We’re celebrating the success of the Booroolong frog captive breeding program, and we’re hoping it'll ultimately help revive their wetland habitat,” Griffin said. “We know that habitat protection and conservation is critical for securing the future of this important native species,” he said.
