Birch Aquarium Releases 223 Endangered Frogs Back Into the Wild

This summer, Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego released 223 Mountain Yellow-legged Frogs into their native habitat in Southern California’s San Jacinto Mountains. The release marks Birch Aquarium’s second successful reintroduction of this endangered amphibian and another hopeful step toward recovery.

“It was incredibly exciting to be part of another successful release of Mountain Yellow-legged Frogs. After watching these frogs grow from tadpoles into healthy juveniles, there’s something especially rewarding about seeing them take that final leap back into their native habitat,” said Sean Bruce, Assistant Curator of Fishes and Invertebrates.

The aquarium received the frogs as tadpoles from the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDZWA) last summer and raised them behind the scenes until they were ready for release. To support a healthy, widespread population, the frogs were then released in two groups at different locations throughout the San Jacinto Mountains. Researchers from SDZWA and the U.S. Forest Service joined Birch Aquarium at both releases to help support the effort.