Help Amphibians Leap Ahead of Extinction! February 29, 2012

Buffalo, NY – Celebrate Leap Day in a unique way! Join the Buffalo Zoo, in conjunction with the conservation group, Amphibian Ark, in participating in the international event, “Leaping Ahead of Extinction: A celebration of good news for amphibians in 2012!”

On Leap Day (Wednesday, February 29), nature lovers are invited to come to the Buffalo Zoo to learn more about the Zoo’s involvement in amphibian conservation and what we can all do to help protect these species. From 10:30 a.m. until 12:00 p.m., the Zoo will offer keeper talks, animal enrichment and conservation-related activities.

Amphibians (frogs, toads, newts and salamanders) are in need of our help because they are one of the most imperiled groups of living organisms. For every one species of bird or mammal that has declining populations, there are two to three amphibian species that face extinction in the wild. Amphibians are also considered by scientists to be environmental indicators. If amphibian populations die off, it not only affects the food chain but also raises red flags on what might be occurring in a given environment.

More than 55 institutions from 17 countries, including the United States, Canada, England, Australia, New Zealand, Colombia and Ecuador, are participating in the celebration, initiated by Amphibian Ark.

For more information about the international event, please visit www.leapfrog2012.org. For information about the Buffalo Zoo’s event, please call (716) 995-6133.

The Buffalo Zoo and Amphibian Ark thank you for doing your part in helping to save amphibians!

About Amphibian Ark

Amphibian Ark was founded in 2006 by the IUCN/SSC Conservation Breeding Specialist Group, the IUCN/SSC Amphibian Specialist Group and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Its mission is facilitating partnerships that ensure the global survival of amphibians, focusing on those that cannot currently be safeguarded in nature. For more information, please visit www.amphibianark.org.

About the Buffalo Zoo

Founded in 1875, the Buffalo Zoo is the third oldest zoo in the United States. Located on 23.5 acres of Olmsted's beautiful Delaware Park, the Buffalo Zoo houses approximately 1,000 endangered and exotic animals and offers visitors a variety of events and educational programs year-round. The Buffalo Zoo is also involved in a variety of conservation projects, including projects that relate to amphibians. These projects include: sending Buffalo Zoo keepers to assist amphibian keepers at a facility located in El Valle, Panama to help treat frogs collected from the wild that are suffering from chytrid fungus; breeding Puerto Rican crested toads and then sending tadpoles to Puerto Rico to be released into the wild to help repopulate the species; and working with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to collect eastern hellbender eggs and hatch them, rear the hellbenders and then release them back into the wild once they have reached a certain size.