Kihansi Spray Toads Make Historic Return to Tanzania
- Tiny toads, extinct in the wild, now reside in
propagation center in Dar es Salaam after being bred by Toledo Zoo and
Bronx Zoo
- A Great Partnership Saves the Toads: Tanzanian
government, Bronx Zoo, The Toledo Zoo, and World Bank
- Toads destined to be returned to their habitat
DAR ES SALAAM (August 17,
2010) – In a bold effort to save one
of the world’s rarest amphibians from extinction, one hundred Kihansi spray
toads have been flown home to Tanzania after being painstakingly reared at the
Bronx Zoo and The Toledo Zoo working in close partnership with the Tanzanian
government and the World Bank.
The toads now reside at a
new, state-of the-art propagation center in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s commercial
capitol, with the eventual goal of reintroducing the tiny amphibians into their
former habitat.
“On behalf of the Government
of the United Republic of Tanzania, we are very grateful to the Bronx Zoo and The
Toledo Zoo for taking care of these precious toads (KST) for ten years, and now
they have safely arrived home via KLM flight and all 100 toads are cheerful as
witnessed by our Tanzanian trained KST keepers at the facility at UDSM Zoology
Department. We are very optimistic that they will acclimatize soon and be taken
to their homeland in Kihansi Gorge in the near future,” said Anna Maembe on
behalf of the Government of Tanzania.
According to Dr. Anne Baker,
The Toledo Zoo’s Executive Director and CEO, “We are extremely proud of the
staff members, curators, and keepers whose expertise in scientific husbandry
made this tremendous accomplishment possible. The level of collaboration
involved here, from the World Bank, the Tanzanian government, and the
participating zoos to the Tanzanian field biologists and students who shared
their knowledge with us, has been nothing short of inspiring.”
“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.”
“This is an important step
that has been achieved through a lot of hard work. The Bank has financed
Tanzania’s commitment to save the Kihansi Spray Toad (KST) for nearly a decade,
and has been looking forward to a successful re-introduction, which will be a
measure of the recovery of the ecosystem and the success of the Lower Kihansi
Environmental Management Project (LKEMP). While we remain optimistic
about a successful reintroduction, we acknowledge individual and collective
efforts and commitment of all players in this project from within and outside
Tanzania,” said Jane Kibbassa, Task Team Leader for LKEMP.
The Kihansi spray toad’s
unique odyssey began shortly after the species was first discovered in 1996
living in a five acre micro-habitat created by the spray of nearby waterfalls
in the Kihansi Gorge.
In 1999, the construction of
a hydroelectric dam in the gorge dramatically changed the Kihansi spray toad’s
habitat. Although this dam is vital to the Tanzanian economy in that it
generates one-third of Tanzania’s total electrical supply, its construction
reduced the original size of the Kihansi falls to 10 percent of its former
flow, drastically lessening the mist zone in which the toads thrived.
Following an agreement
between WCS and the Tanzanian government and with funding from the World Bank,
which constructed the dam, scientists and Tanzanian officials collected an
assurance colony of 499 Kihansi spray toads from the gorge.
The toad was last seen in the
wild in 2004, and in 2009 the toad was declared to be extinct in the wild by
the by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
Today, 5,000 toads live at The
Toledo Zoo and 1,500 reside at the Bronx Zoo. Both zoos will continue
breeding and exhibiting the animals, returning additional shipments to Tanzania
as their numbers rebound.
The Tanzanian government has
been managing the Lower Kihansi Environment Management Project in the gorge. A
system of sprinklers, replicating the toad’s habitat, has been installed in
preparation for the species’ return. The ultimate goal is to return the
toads to their natural habitat within the gorge.
Scientists are still debating
the ultimate cause of extinction of this species in the wild, but theorize a
combination of habitat change, pesticide exposure, and the emergence of
infective chytrid fungus led to their demise. Chytrid is responsible for
alarming crashes and extinctions of amphibian species in many parts of the
world.
A species unusual among toads
– females give birth to live, fully-formed young, rather than laying eggs that
hatch into free-living tadpoles.
Contact:
Bronx Zoo: Max Pulsinelli –
718-220-5182 – mpulsinelli@wcs.org
Bronx Zoo: Steve Fairchild –
718-220-5189 – sfairchild@wcs.org
The Toledo Zoo: Andi Norman –
419/385-5721 ext 2098 – andi.norman@toledozoo.org
World Bank: Jane Kibbassa – +255-784
-411132 jkibbassa@worldbank.org
Government of Tanzania: Dr.
Fadhila H A Khatibu – +255-22 2134434 fad_hemed@hotmail.com
The Wildlife Conservation
Society Bronx Zoo, a Wildlife
Conservation Society park, is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and will
be closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year's Day, and Martin Luther
King Day. Adult admission is $15, children (3-12 years old) $11, children
under 3 are free, seniors (65+) are $13. Parking is $12 for cars and $16 for
buses. WCS’s Bronx Zoo is conveniently located off the Bronx River Parkway at
Exit 6; by train via the #2 or #5 or by bus via the #9, #12, #19, #22,
MetroNorth, or BxM11 Express Bus service (from Manhattan that stops just
outside the gate). To plan your trip, visit www.bronxzoo.com
or call 718-367-1010.
The Toledo Zoo, is committed
to inspiring others to join in caring for animals and conserving the natural
world. As part of that mission, The Toledo Zoo is accredited by the Association
of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), a leader in global wildlife conservation. AZA
member institutions are dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a
great experience for visitors and a better future for all living things. Visit www.toledozoo.org/kihansi