It’s always incredibly satisfying to see years of conservation efforts finally pay off, and that’s exactly what happened at the Oregon Zoo. They released over 100 northern leopard frogs into the wild in an attempt to help this endangered species thrive in Washington.
Things are looking up for the northern leopard frogs in Washington, and the Oregon Zoo played an important role in their conservation efforts. Over 100 endangered frogs spent the spring and summer growing in a protected area at the zoo, but they were eventually released into the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge earlier this month.
Jennifer Osburn Eliot had overseen the zoo’s frog-rearing efforts since they were brought to the zoo as eggs last spring by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife until they were released into the wild.
“They come to us as eggs, then they grow into tadpoles and develop into frogs. We care for them at the zoo until they’re big enough to have a better chance of surviving in the wild. Every frog we release makes a difference for this vulnerable species,” she said in a press release.
Despite living in abundance in other parts of the United States, the northern leopard frogs have been listed as endangered in Washington since 1999. The decline of their population was caused by several factors, including changes in water quality, a loss of wetland habitat, and predation by invasive species.
