Detroit Zoo Makes an Impact on Wyoming Toad Comeback
(Detroit Zoo Press Release, Sept. 5, 2014)
The Detroit Zoological Society’s breeding program for the Wyoming toad has produced a record 3,945 tadpoles for release into the wild in its efforts to preserve the federally endangered amphibian.
“This is the largest number of tadpoles we have ever sent back to Wyoming,” said Marcy Sieggreen, Curator of Amphibians at the Detroit Zoo. The majority of the tadpoles were released into the Laramie Basin, a protected Wyoming wetland, while 16 were reserved for future breeding at other facilities.
“The tadpoles are returned to Wyoming before the middle of July so they have plenty of time to grow and metamorphose in the wetlands where they’ll live. It takes them approximately four to five weeks to change into toadlets,” said Sieggreen.
The Wyoming toad (Bufo baxteri) is a dark brown, gray or greenish amphibian with small, dark blotches. The average length is 2.2 inches, with the females slightly larger than the males.
Once abundant in the wetlands and irrigated meadows of Wyoming’s southeastern plains, the Wyoming toad was listed as extinct in the wild in 1994, meaning populations are no longer producing offspring that survive to adulthood in the wild.
The cause of the declines are not well understood, but it is likely that more than one factor contributed to the situation in the past, with habitat loss and infectious diseases suspected as major drivers.
In 2007, the Detroit Zoological Society’s collaborative breeding program for the Wyoming toad was No. 1 on the Association of Zoos and Aquariums list of the Top 10 wildlife conservation success stories. The breeding partnership has successfully released more than 6,000 tadpoles, toadlets and toads in Wyoming since the program’s inception in 1995.
The Detroit Zoological Society is a nonprofit organization that operates the Detroit Zoo and Belle Isle Nature Zoo. Situated on 125 acres of naturalistic habitats, the Detroit Zoo is located at 10 Mile Road and Woodward Avenue off I-696 in Royal Oak, Mich. The Detroit Zoo is open 362 days a year, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. April through Labor Day, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. the day after Labor Day through October and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. November through March. Admission is $14 for adults 15 to 61 and $10 for children 2 to 14, senior citizens 62 and older and active military with ID; children under 2 are admitted free. The Belle Isle Nature Zoo is open Wednesday through Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April through October and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. November through March; closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Admission to the Nature Zoo is free; however, a State of Michigan Recreation Passport is required for all personal vehicles to enter Belle Isle State Park. For more information, call (248) 541-5717 or visit www.detroitzoo.org.