Vancouver Aquarium breeds endangered frogs, plans to release amphibians

VANCOUVER – Scientists at the Vancouver Aquarium are jumping on an opportunity to prevent an endangered frog population in eastern British Columbia from going extinct.

The Rocky Mountain population of northern leopard frogs plummeted by the millions in the 1970s, and only two wild populations are know to exist near Creston, in B.C.’s West Kootenay region.

In fact, scientists are still stumped about the reasons for the frogs’ decline.

For the first time in an aquarium setting in Canada the frogs have been successfully bred.

The aquarium says tadpoles were hatched this week and will be released into the wild near the east Kootenay city of Cranbrook.

Dr. Dennis Thoney of the Vancouver Aquarium says the facility is committed to breeding the frogs and building up the population before the amphibians become extinct in the province.