The future of an endangered frog species from the Northern Tablelands may be brighter thanks to a new, purpose-built facility that supports a captive breeding program at Taronga Zoo.
Subscribe now for unlimited access to all our agricultural news
across the nation
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
NSW Environment Minister James Griffin said 58 rare Booroolong frogs were thriving in their new home, after severe drought almost wiped out the species from their habitat.
"Booroolong frogs are usually found in streams in the Northern Tablelands and they were badly affected by the 2019 drought when many waterways dried up," Mr Griffin said. "To help protect this threatened species, our experts from the Saving our Species (SoS) program and Taronga Zoo joined local ecologist Phil Spark and the Australian Museum's Dr Jodi Rowley to rescue 58 healthy frogs to develop a captive breeding program.
"We've now successfully established an insurance population of Booroolong frogs, and they're thriving in their state of the art home following a $178,000 NSW Government-funded upgrade."
The facility now has advanced features that replicate the frog's natural environment, including special UV lighting.
Most Booroolong frogs live for a only single breeding season. One failed breeding season can cause significant population decline, while two consecutive years of failed breeding may result in local extinction.
Further reading:
Have you signed up to The Land's free daily newsletter? Register below to make sure you are up to date with everything that's important to NSW agriculture.
