8,000 tadpoles from Schönbrunn's "frog kindergarten" return to Carinthia

Background: Why rearing at the zoo is necessary

"In their natural habitat, spawning waters are repeatedly at risk of drying out. In addition, numerous predators lurk there," explained zoo director Stephan Hering-Hagenbeck. Climate change is also taking its toll on the amphibians: "In addition to the loss of suitable habitats, amphibians are particularly affected by climate change. It leads to spawning waters drying out prematurely."

In Carinthia, special floating net cages are intended to protect the young moor frogs until they leave them independently and "finally take the plunge onto land." In the selected ponds, they are meant to help strengthen moor frog populations. "But unfortunately there have been major declines in the moor frog population in Austria," said Hering-Hagenbeck.

Protection in the wild: Floating net cages

The reintroduction is part of the Biodiversity Fund project "Wetting and Deepening." "This initiative implements the 'One Plan Approach' for amphibians in Austria for the first time, linking species conservation outside and within natural habitats," explained Doris Preininger, a research associate at the Tiergarten Schönbrunn.

Together with the amphibian experts Marc Sztatecsny and Florian Glaser as well as ARGE Naturschutz, the Tiergarten Schönbrunn is working to secure moor frog populations in Carinthia in the long term and to ecologically enhance their habitats. "With the reintroduction, we want to strengthen the existing population and counteract the decline of the species," said Hering-Hagenbeck.

Pioneering work: First "One Plan Approach" for amphibians in Austria

A special feature of the species: the males turn sky blue during the mating season. This makes moor frogs clearly visible during the breeding season, while at the same time the population in Austria is under pressure. With the "frog kindergarten," the zoo aims to take countermeasures because spawning waters in the wild are increasingly drying out prematurely due to climate change.

The initiative is considered a pilot project: it links zoological rearing with the improvement of habitats in the wild. The renaturalized ponds in Carinthia are intended to benefit not only the relocated animals but also other amphibian species. This spans an arc from species conservation at the zoo to habitat enhancement in the project area.

The Tiergarten Schönbrunn sees the project as a model for further species conservation projects in Austria. If the method proves successful, similar programs could be implemented in the future for other endangered amphibian species, according to the zoo.