Endangered Taipei frogs bred in captivity

2014-10-01

Taiwan’s most endangered indigenous frog species has been bred successfully by Taipei Zoo Conservation and Research Center, with the offspring ready for return to the wild.

Center CEO Chang Ming-hsiung said surveys since 2000 show the Taipei grass frog, Rana taipehensis, only survives in four of its original 14 habitats, and with sharply reduced numbers in the remaining areas.

“Habitat loss and pesticides are to blame,” Chang said, adding that the frogs can now only be seen in Sanchih and Shihmen districts of New Taipei City, and Longtan and Yangmei townships of Taoyuan County.

New Taipei City Government and Taipei Zoo initiated a conservation program for the frogs last year in Sanchih and Shihmen, with habitat restoration a major focus.

In Sanchih, the major problem was water lilies, which although beautiful, crowded out other species and eliminated the biodiversity on which the frogs depended. Volunteers joined zoo staff in the onerous task of uprooting the plants. The situation was different in Shihmen, with farmers encouraged to switch to organic farming to create a pesticide-free environment.

Zoo staff also put in countless hours of lab work to create a breeding program. “We gathered data on such factors as temperature, shade and food requirements necessary to recreate a breeding environment for the frogs,” Chang said.

“After repeated tests under a variety conditions, we finally found an optimal environment under which eggs collected by the city government could be inseminated with a 98 percent success rate.”

Lin Hwei-jen, a zoo spokesperson, said the adult frogs will be released into their original habitats in Sanchih and Yangmei in the near future. “We hope to share the fruits of our successful program with research institutes in other countries and territories.”

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=222221&CtNode=413)