Supporting Hellbender populations in Southeast Ohio
The Eastern hellbender is a state-endangered salamander that relies on clean, clear streams with minimal sediment buildup. Pollution and habitat loss have wiped out wild populations across much of their historic range in Ohio. Fortunately, some streams have recovered enough to once again support hellbenders.
Since 2010, Toledo Zoo has worked to support this species by collecting eggs from suitable streams and rearing the young in a controlled environment, where survival rates are much higher than in the wild. Many of these young hellbenders are released back into the streams where they were collected, while others help repopulate rehabilitated habitats that once supported the species. To date, the Zoo and its partners in the Hellbender Conservation Partnership have released 500 hellbenders into Southern Ohio streams. A recent discovery of two adult hellbenders from the release program in the wild marks a major milestone for the species' recovery.
The Zoo also partners with Penta Career Center in Perrysburg, Ohio, to provide students with hands-on experience in amphibian conservation through a bio-secure aquarium room for rearing young hellbenders.
The Toledo Zoo is a member of the Ohio Hellbender Partnership (OHP).
