The zoo says it first became involved with PRCT conservation efforts in 1984, and then started breeding and reintroduction efforts in 1989.
FORT WORTH, Texas — The Fort Worth Zoo announced that they’ve made great strides in the conservation of a critically endangered species, the Puerto Rican crested toad (PRCT).
Earlier this month, global superstar and Puerto Rico native Bad Bunny released a short film to accompany his latest album, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, which features an animated Sapo concho, also known as the PRCT, to represent the plight of some of the country’s natural and cultural symbols.
The zoo says it first became involved with PRCT conservation efforts in 1984, and then started breeding and reintroduction efforts in 1989.
The breeding and reintroduction program has been coordinated and managed under the direction of the Zoo’s Senior Curator of Ectotherms Diane Barber since 2005, zoo officials said in a release. The program is coordinated and managed by the Zoo’s Senior Curator of Ectotherms Diane Barber.
“Reptile and amphibian species often become overshadowed when compared to some of the more ‘charismatic’ species like elephants and manatees and it is difficult to compete for limited resources and support needed for their conservation,” said Barber. “It’s pretty incredible to have someone like Bad Bunny, with the platform that he has, to raise awareness about this little toad and find a commonality to connect people to the toad and their natural surroundings. Teaching people about the existence of the PRCT has been difficult because of the common occurrence of the introduced, invasive marine toad, for which many people confuse as a Sapo concho. Bad Bunny has provided us a way to show people what a Sapo concho looks like so we can effectively teach others about the toad’s rarity, threats to its survival, and enable Puerto Ricans to become involved in its conservation.”
The PRCT is the only toad species native to Puerto Rico, and its name comes from the distinct bony crests on its head which distinguishes it from other toad species, the zoo said. The Puerto Rican Crested Toad Conservancy (PRCTC), a nonprofit organization, has 17 breeding facilities that maintain adult PRCTs in biosecure rooms and produce offspring annually for reintroduction.
The PRCTC has released more than 830,000 tadpoles across the island at six reintroduction sites, and the Fort Worth Zoo alone has released 107,000 of those tadpoles.
The Fort Worth Zoo said it is committed to the conservation of this endangered species and restoring not only the PRCT population, but also the balance in its precious and fragile ecosystem.
