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Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium is a world renowned center for wildlife conservation.
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Here, Gibbons hang out in treetops, towering giraffes move with quiet grace, and playful sea lions reveal the hidden world beneath the waves.
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And in specialized labs, the zoo's amphibian Conservation Program works to safeguard some of the planet's most vulnerable species, including one all the way from Puerto Rico.
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Good morning.
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I'm Jesse.
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Hi, Rae.
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Welcome to Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquariums and Amphibian Conservation Area.
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This is really cool.
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I didn't know a place like this existed.
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There are not very many of these in the entire world.
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The zoo has bred and released more than 170,000 amphibians from 7 different conservation species.
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So this is just a snapshot of all the animals that we've put back in the wild.
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Jesse led me behind the scenes to see the complex, coordinated work that makes it all possible.
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What makes this room unique is the species that lives in here is so big that it needs a gigantic habitat.
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And this is a Blomberg's toad.
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Wow.
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Hello there.
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It's one of the larger toad species from South America.
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Oh, my gosh.
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Hey, it's the size.
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The same size as your head.
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Yeah.
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Basically, we're matching.
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But the amphibians I'm here to see are the zoo's 357 Puerto Rican crested toads.
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The distinctive looking Puerto Rican crested toad spends much of its life underground, only emerging during heavy rains to breed.
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It plays an important ecological role by controlling insect populations.
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Until recently, habitat loss and invasive species had nearly wiped them out.
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But today, reintroduction programs have brought them back from the brink of extinction.
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And remarkably, the toads returning to the Wilds of Puerto Rico are hatched and raised right here in Nebraska.
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There's probably more Puerto Rican crested toads in this room than anywhere else in the world, and probably more than there are in the wild.
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Wow.
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Jesse introduced me to zookeeper Derek Benson.
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Hi, Derek.
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OK, what do I need to get in there with the toads?
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We're going to get you set up in some PE so that if we bring any pathogen in or out, we can protect this endangered species.
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I pulled on footies, a lab coat and gloves, then stepped into a room precisely calibrated to match the conditions in Puerto Rico.
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One of the most important parts for our toads is that we mimic those wet and dry seasons so they can develop eggs and they can be experiencing natural parameters.
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So this is a captive bred Omaha Zoo toad.
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If you look from the profile, they have that upturned snout.
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That's where they get the name crested toad.
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But that's so they can back into their natural holes and use it as kind of a blockade from any predators or severe weathers.
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OK, can I?
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Yep, absolutely.
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Is she going to get bigger in size?
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So she'll get a little bit bigger.
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She's two years old right now, so she's just reached reproductive prime.
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I'm fascinated by her eyes.
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They are this, like, marbled brown with an iris in the center that's kind of an Oval shape.
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It looks like she's looking at me.
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I don't know if she actually is.
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So am I safe to say it was time to offer them some food?
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And here I see crickets.
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I see Roly.
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Poly's a personal favorite of my kids.
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And so I guess that also simulates what the toads would experience in the wild.
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Yeah, Absolutely.
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Oh, Oh, wow.
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Oh, my gosh.
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It did the toad thing.
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They're almost always hungry.
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Puerto Rican crested toads climb limestone cliffs to find rocky Burrows.
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So the ones raised here at the zoo need a place to practice their skills.
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So when we release older toads to Puerto Rico, we want to ensure that they're capable of climbing rock walls.
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Is it fair to say this is like a climbing gym for these toads?
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Absolutely.
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This is to increase that muscle mass and forgive them the opportunity to climb as they would in the wild.
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The zoo releases toads at all ages to give the species the best possible chance to recover.
