Australia is home to a diverse range of weird and wonderful frog species, with a vast majority confined to small ranges with limited populations.
Many frog species are at risk of extinction from climate change, habitat loss and a fungal disease known as chytrid fungus. An alarming 40 per cent of all amphibians across the world are listed as threatened.
In Australia, chytrid fungus has caused the decline of 43 frog species. One of these species is the iconic southern corroboree frog (Pseudophryne corroboree). Tiny and poisonous, with striking black and yellow markings, this beautiful species is listed on the IUCN Red List as critically endangered and is one of Australia’s most threatened vertebrates.
The southern corroboree frog is adapted to life in cooler climates and is restricted to Kosciusko National Park in the south-east of New South Wales. There are only 30 left living in the wild. A collaborative effort between Taronga Zoo, Victoria Zoos, the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the NSW government's Saving our Species program, has seen one hundred southern corroboree frogs “brought home” and released in Kosciusko National Park.
They are now living in handcrafted havens set up across five locations in Kosciusko National Park.
"These new enclosures are specially custom-built and include irrigation systems for fireproofing," NSW Environment Minister, James Griffon, told ABC news.
They’ll spend autumn getting used to their new homes and preparing for hibernation ahead of their first winter in the wild.
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