Chester Zoo releases 32 critically endangered newts at secret Spanish site
Newts bred at Chester Zoo have been released into the wild at a secret site in Catalonia as part of an international effort to save the species from extinction.
The zoo, the only UK organisation involved in the breeding programme, has introduced 32 Montseny brook newts to a mountainous habitat near Barcelona.
Around 1,000 of the newts remain in the wild, and the species is listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List.
The chocolate brown, gold-speckled amphibians grow to around 10cm, roughly the size of a pack of cards.
The release site is being kept secret to protect the newts from disturbance and from a fungal disease that can devastate amphibian populations, and the released animals have been given UV markers so their movements can be tracked.
More than a hundred more newts are still living at Chester Zoo while they mature ready for follow-up releases, and 12 breeding pairs remain at the zoo in specially designed pods.
Dr Gerardo Garcia, Animal and Plant Director at Chester Zoo, has been involved with the Government of Catalonia’s Montseny Brook Newt Recovery Plan since it began.
He said: “These newts are fascinating, and also quite cute. But they are extremely vulnerable. Their habitat is fragmented by roads, they are highly sensitive to water quality and they face the constant threat of illegal wildlife trade.”
He added: “Usually when numbers get this low, you’d expect genetic diversity to plummet. But research shows it’s surprisingly good. That gave us a strong foundation for the project.”
The species holds a mystery of its own.
Larvae are regularly spotted in the wild before disappearing, only to re-emerge later as mature adults, and conservationists believe the newts may spend part of their lives in a hidden underground river system beneath the Montseny mountains.
The first newts arrived at Chester in 2017.
Ellie Bland, the zoo’s Ectotherms Keeper, oversees daily water checks, tank cleaning, headcounts and egg checks.
She said: “The females evolved to lay eggs in fast-running water, so they are experts at putting them in tiny hidden crevices, it’s not always easy to find them.
“They’re quite quirky. They are visual hunters that target aquatic worms and insects, I pipette feed them and they are very reactive to movement, so we have these huge eyes watching us while we work.”
Mrs Bland said: “It’s awesome seeing them swim free. Moments like this are why I wanted to work in a zoo in the first place.”
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