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Poison dart frogs from Central and South America will be on exhibit at the Rio Grande Zoo starting Sunday. (Marla Brose / Journal)
Sometimes, this job is really fun. This morning I spent my time hanging out with Mexican tree frogs, Great Plains toads, poison dart frogs and other amphibians.
It sure beats the City Council.
My tour was part of an announcement of the opening of a new amphibians exhibit at the BioPark Zoo. It opens to the public on Sunday.
The exhibit is another example of how zookeepers in Albuquerque are participating in conservation efforts throughout the world. In this case, some of the rarest species of amphibians will be on display, not far from Downtown Albuquerque.
Jen Stabile, senior keeper for herpetology, visited a small caribbean island and retrieved some endangered coqui frogs. They will be on display in Albuquerque starting Sunday, the only place you’ll find them in captivity in the world.
Stabile is doing research on their reproduction and other characteristics, all to aid in conservation efforts.
Zookeepers also hope the exhibit will give visitors some insight into the decline of amphibian populations around the world.
I’ll have more in tomorrow’s paper.
Watch the video below.
-- Email the reporter at dmckay@abqjournal.com. Call the reporter at 505-823-3566
