San Diego Zoo

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums designated 2008 as the Year of the Amphibian in response to the global threat to amphibians within zoos, aquariums and botanical gardens, and in the wild. This project will address the current global crisis by studying the diseases that have caused the decline in the amphibian population, and develop and refine tools to maintain and support amphibian survival colonies and cell culture lines within institutions. The San Diego Zoo will partner with the Atlanta Fulton County Zoo to gather healthy animals and their genetic structures for preservation until further research finds the causes of, and the treatments for, these amphibian diseases. The zoo will establish a lab and scientific protocols to support the survival of amphibian colonies within zoos and aquariums across the country to counteract the diseases and the possibility of extinction facing this class of animals.