For many years, the plight of the Houston toad (Bufo houstonensis) has been a struggle against the increased environmental pressure of invasive species and habitat destruction. Beginning in the 1970s when this species was added to the federal list of endangered species as the first listed amphibian, the Houston toad has seen wildfires and urbanization gradually lessen its odds of survival. Thankfully though, there is hope for this little creature.

 

      The Houston Zoo has a recovery program dedicated to propagating B. houstonensis and releasing egg strands in protected areas. This program began in 2007 with just a few wild-collected eggs, and has grown into a vast operation of over six hundred toads. Thanks to the success of the program, over one million eggs annually are released into the wild. Since its start-up, the Houston Toad Program has spread to be a part of both the Fort Worth and Dallas Zoos, but the primary location is still centered at the Houston Zoo. 

​

      Thanks to careful planning, the breeding and release process is quite simple. Upon the start of the breeding season, male and female toads are placed into breeding tanks, where they remain for forty-eight hours until they are placed back into regular enclosures. Each year, up to one hundred eighty five pairings are made to produce over one million eggs. These eggs are then released into the wild before they hatch, giving the toadlets a completely natural life right from the start. This assures that the tadpoles and future toads will still have a healthy fear of larger organisms. If they hatch in captivity, where they learn quickly to associate larger organisms (humans) with food, they cannot be released into the wild because they are then more susceptible to being killed and eaten by predators. The group of toads at the Houston Zoo is what is known as a closed population, meaning that the zoo can send toads out, but no new specimens are added to the existing group besides holdback individuals from on-site breeding. This ensures that no disease can be transmitted to the Zoo’s population.

​

      As more and more species are added to the list of endangered animals, some people may ask “why a toad?” The houston toad is a very important animal, known as a keystone species. Being of an amphibious nature, it serves as prey for organisms both in ponds and in the forests it inhabits. Additionally, because they metamorphosize from an aquatic tadpole into a terrestrial toad, they transfer nutrients from ponds and puddles to land in an ecosystem. And in the end, habitat conservation is never about conserving one sole species. Melissa Spradley, head of the Houston Toad Project at the Houston Zoo, explains that “[by] protecting the habitat the Houston toad lives in, you protect countless other species that live in that same area” explains.

 

      The Houston toad is an extremely important organism that holds together its ecosystem in Bastrop, Texas. Although their situation has not been great in the past few decades, things are starting to turn around thanks to dedicated efforts by the Houston Zoo.