Vancouver Aquarium Releases the Second Highest Number of Endangered Northern Leopard Frog Tadpoles

• Todd Hauptman

Vancouver, B.C. - The Vancouver Aquarium was pleased on Monday, June 16 to release 2500 endangered Northern Leopard Frog (NLF) tadpoles into a natural habitat near Cranbrook. This is our second most successful year since we have started releasing tadpoles and our biggest ever egg mass. There is only one wild population remaining in BC, making Northern Leopard Frogs one of BCs most endangered species.

In 2013, Vancouver Aquarium became the first Aquarium in Canada to breed these frogs. The Aquarium has worked alongside the Wilder Institute, Calgary Zoo, and Edmonton Valley Zoo as part of the Northern Leopard Frog Recovery Team to protect the Rocky Mountain population of Northern Leopard Frogs. The Recovery Team are releasing the tadpoles to help conserve the wild population, but frogs are kept in human care as an assurance population in case the wild population becomes unviable. Habitat loss, invasive species, exotic pathogens, and climate change. are the reasons why these conservation efforts are necessary in the first place.

“Northern Leopard Frogs are notoriously difficult to breed, and it is often dependent upon things outside our control, such as weather conditions before and during breeding season,” said Vancouver Aquarium Biologist Andrew Cumming. “We are delighted that it was such a successful year for this program."

The Vancouver Aquarium was the first aquarium to breed the amphibians as part of an assurance population and part of a worldwide effort, along with other zoos and aquariums, to conserve this and other amphibian species under the Amphibian Ark (AArk) project.

“These animals are part of our shared natural heritage as Canadians, and it is a privilege to take action to preserve them for future generations. I hope others are inspired to act themselves," concluded Cumming

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Photos and Videos here.
For more information:
Todd Hauptman, Communications Manager
Todd.Hauptman@vanaqua.org / 604-376-2252

About Vancouver Aquarium
Since opening in 1956, the Vancouver Aquarium has connected over 50 million people from around the world to our oceans and inspired them to address key threats. Located in Stanley Park, the Vancouver Aquarium is home to hundreds of incredible species. The Vancouver Aquarium is a fully accredited member of Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums (AMMPA), Canada’s Accredited Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA), and Humane Conservation Certified by American Humane.

About Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Centre
The Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Centre is a hospital for sick, injured, or orphaned marine mammals. The Rescue Centre rescues stranded marine mammals and rehabilitates them for release back into their natural habitat.