Some homecomings are measured in hops. This summer, staff from the Los Angeles Zoo, the Aquarium of the Pacific, and the U.S. Geological Survey carried 653 endangered southern mountain yellow-legged frogs back into the wild streams of the San Gabriel Mountains — every single one bred at the L.A. Zoo.
The releases happened on two August days: 338 frogs slipped into their native habitat on Aug. 19, followed by 315 more on Aug. 27. And 227 of them got their start inside the Zoo’s brand-new bio-secure amphibian headstarting facility, a specialized, temperature-controlled nursery built into the Children’s Discovery Center that gives tadpoles the crucial “headstart” they need to grow big and strong before facing the wild.
The milestone pushes the program’s all-time total to nearly 7,000 zoo-bred frogs released since the Southern Mountain Yellow-legged Frog Recovery Program began. The species — medium-sized amphibians with yellow-orange bellies and cryptic, lichen-like spots — is classified as Endangered and lives only in a handful of remote mountain streams in Southern California.
The best part? You can meet these tiny conservation heroes in person. The uniquely camouflaged frogs are on view at the Zoo’s Living Amphibian, Invertebrate, and Reptile exhibit (LAIR) during normal operating hours — a rare chance to see an animal most people will never encounter in the wild.
Photo: Los Angeles Zoo
