"Extinct" Toads to Be Released Back into Wild

Photo By: Julie Larsen Maher / Wildlife Conservation Society

The Kihansi spray toad was last seen in their natural habitat in 2004 and were declared extinct in the wild in 2009. But in an effort to save these rare amphibians from permanent extinction, in the wild and in captivity, the Bronx Zoo and The Toledo Zoo, working with the Tanzanian government and the World Bank, are raising thousands of these toads with the eventual goal of releasing them into the wild.

"The return of these special creatures to Tanzania is a landmark achievement for the Bronx Zoo, the Tanzanian government, The Toledo Zoo, and the World Bank," said Jim Breheny, Director of the Bronx Zoo and Wildlife Conservation Society Senior Vice President of Living Institutions. "For years, the Bronx Zoo has been anticipating this important step toward reintroduction of the species, and we are ecstatic that the first toads are thriving in the new facility." One hundred toads were recently flown to Tanzania and will eventually be reintroduced into their former habitat near the waterfalls in the Kihansi Gorge.

Shown here: A diminutive Kihansi spray toad newborn rests on the back of an adult female. Reared at the Bronx Zoo, these amphibians –– now extinct in the wild –– are part of an international program to reintroduce the Kihansi spray toad back into its former habitat in Tanzania.

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