Oregon Zoo releases endangered frogs

PORTLAND, Oregon (KPTV) – The Oregon Zoo helped release over 100 endangered frogs into the wild last week.

As part of a joint project with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), more than 100 northern leopard frogs were released in the Northwest.

The frogs hatched from eggs collected by WDFW and spent the spring and summer growing in a protected zoo area. After they matured, they were released into the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge on August 15.

“They come to us as eggs, then they grow into tadpoles and develop into frogs,” says Jennifer Osburn Eliot, who oversees the zoo's frog breeding. “We care for them at the zoo until they are big enough to have a better chance of survival in the wild.”

Northern leopard frogs have disappeared from their native ranges in Washington, Oregon and western Canada.

In Washington, the frogs have been threatened with extinction since 1999. According to the Oregon Zoo, there is only one known population left.

“Every frog we release makes a difference for this endangered species,” Eliot said.

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