Hundreds of amphibian species around the world have rapidly declined or disappeared due to a number of threats including exotic disease and habitat loss. For many critically endangered amphibian species, zoos may be the only short-term hope of preventing their imminent extinction. Taronga Zoo assisted Amphibian ARK in late May in delivering an Amphibian Husbandry and Conservation Workshop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Taronga Herpetofauna specialist, Michael McFadden, travelled to Malaysia’s Zoo Negara to deliver presentations on amphibian husbandry and co-ordinating conservation and release programs.

Fifteen participants from a number of organisations in Malaysia attended the three day workshop to learn all the vital aspects of maintaining and breeding threatened amphibian species.

This workshop was one of a series of Amphibian ARK workshops delivered in South-east Asia in recent years to build capacity within the zoos of the region to initiate and successfully manage amphibian conservation programs.