Press Releases

The Toronto Zoo is proud to announce that the 2015 Puerto Rican crested toad breeding, which began on May 25, 2015, was extremely successful with 9,000 tadpoles being sent to Puerto Rico this morning. The tadpoles will be released in the Rio Encantado region of northern Puerto Rico tomorrow, June 11, 2015.

The Puerto Rican crested toad is listed as a Critically Endangered species by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) and is found only in Puerto Rico. In collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP), tadpoles hatched at the Toronto Zoo are released in Puerto Rico each year for the purposes of sustaining and rebuilding the wild population.

The SSP for the Puerto Rican crested toad was developed, in part, to reintroduce the species back into the wild. The Toronto Zoo has been an active participant in the breeding program for over 30 years. We are proud to announce that, with the addition of this years tadpoles, a total of 140,128 Puerto Rican crested toads have been released back into the wild from the Toronto Zoo to date.

For more information on this program please CLICK HERE.

Photo Credit: Toronto Zoo

About the Toronto Zoo:

The Toronto Zoo is Canada's premier zoo and a leader in animal preservation and environmental protection. More than a tourist attraction, the Toronto Zoo boasts a number of leading programs for helping wildlife and their natural habitats – from species reintroduction to reproductive research. A world-class educational centre for people of all ages, the Toronto Zoo is open every day except December 25 and attracts approximately 1.3 million visitors each year. For more information, visit www.torontozoo.com.