Hellbender Conservation Expanding
TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo Zoo is getting by with a little help from its friends. The Zoo, Williams, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife and the Ohio Hellbender Partnership recently teamed with Penta Career Center to expand their efforts to conserve a state endangered species. With the continued support of the Zoo, the Small Animal Care program at Penta will rear over 200 hellbender salamanders for eventual release back into their native range in southeastern Ohio. As a state endangered species, the hellbenders are owned by the ODNR Division of Wildlife. The salamanders were collected as eggs by the Ohio Hellbender Partnership and initially reared by staff at the Toledo Zoo. An open storage room at Penta was converted into a custom classroom and laboratory through the generous support of Williams, an energy company with operations in Ohio. The hellbenders were transferred in several batches during the month of February to the modified classroom where they will spend the next two years. The new facility is a win-win, with numerous benefits to the students while also allowing the Ohio Hellbender Partnership to increase their capacity for rearing the threatened amphibians. As Wild Toledo manager, Kent Bekker, explained: “The hope for this collaboration is that through caring for the hellbenders, Penta will be able to integrate hands-on animal husbandry into other science classes. The facility is built to maintain biosecurity, so the students will be changing their shoes and wearing lab coats while working with the salamanders. Overall, it’s a good lesson in conservation and animal management.” Hellbenders are the largest North American salamander. They spend their entire lives under rocks at the bottom of fast moving streams eating crayfish and insects and breathing through gill-like folds in their skin. They are native to the Ohio River watershed in Ohio. Hellbenders are variations of brown in color and have large tails to help swim against the current, along with four legs to crawl around their rocky habitats. The species is endangered due to pollution, sedimentation and habitat loss. Since beginning work with the Ohio Hellbender Partnership, the Toledo Zoo has reared over 700 hellbenders and thus far released over 150 back into their native habitat.
Press Release Contact Name: Andi Norman
Press Release Contact Email: [email protected]
Press Release Contact Phone: 419-385-5721 ext. 2098
Organization Name: Toledo Zoo