'Extinct' Frogs Reintroduced To African Habitat

The Kihansi spray toads were wiped out in their native habitat by the construction of a dam and the deadly chytrid fungus.

A precious cargo of 100 tiny, wild toads was airlifted from the Bronx and Toledo zoos to Tanzania in an attempt to reintroduce the species to where it has become extinct in the wild.

The Kihansi spray toad’s compact habitat was destroyed when a hydroelectric dam was built in 2000, eliminating nearly all the waterfall mist that the amphibians need for survival.

The toads soon began to dry out and fall ill. But scientists managed to collect a colony of almost 500 and shipped them to a handful of zoos entrusted with preserving the species.

The toads haven’t been seen in the wild since 2004, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).

The organization is in charge of reintroducing them to their original home, which encompasses only 5 acres in the Kihansi Gorge.

Artificial sprinklers are now being installed in the gorge to simulate the spray toads’ original living environment, allowing them to soon return home after a 10-year absence.

WCS says that about 5,000 of the toads live at the Toledo Zoo and another 1,500 are being kept at the Bronx Zoo to make sure there is enough of a breeding population should the reintroduction attempt fail.

The dam that resulted in the spray toads’ extinction is crucial for Tanzania’s economy, providing one-third of the country’s total electrical supply.

Photo: Tim A. Herman / Toledo Zoo