A species of poisonous frog thought to be extinct in the wild is getting a leg up in Vancouver. Scientists at the Vancouver Aquarium say critically endangered Panamanian golden frogs have been bred at the facility for the first time in its history.
In an effort to save the golden frogs from extinction, the Panama government provided frogs to zoos and aquariums worldwide in hopes to creating future populations if they were to disappear from the wild. The creature, a species of toad, is no
"Through this breeding program, the Vancouver Aquarium is joining a global initiative to conserve the Panamanian golden frogs and to save them from extinction," said Dr. Dennis Thoney, Vancouver Aquarium's director of animal operations.
The breeding program is part of a world-wide effort in partnership with the Association of Zoos and Aquarium's Species Survival Plan Program, to preserve the species, which has been almost wiped out over the last decade.