Hochstetter’s frogs at Hamilton Zoo, New Zealand K. Goddard, Keeper Hamilton Zoo Hamilton , New Zealand In 2006 Hamilton Zoo decided to meet the challenge of every zoo taking on at least one frog species as the amphibian crisis is upon us all. A group of Hochstetter’s frogs had been used for research at Canterbury University NZ, that research had come to an end and something had to be done with the animals. The Department of Conservation decided to keep the frogs in captivity and move them to a captive facility. Hamilton Zoo in partnership with DOC built a specially designed outdoor enclosure for them on zoo site and the frogs moved in May 2006. The frogs are in captivity to help develop husbandry techniques and to help discover breeding behaviour as little is known about this. This paper will run through the process of settling the frogs in, the methods being used for husbandry and the information we are collecting by having the frogs on site, including emergence patterns and photo ID. Hochstetter’s frogs are one of only four native New Zealand frogs and are primative and distinctly unique frogs from the leiopelma family and all four are found in the top 60 of the EDGE (ecologically distinct, globally endangered) list for amphibians. |