Saving the Littlejohn's Tree Frog

Aussie Ark welcomes 29 adult frogs into Conservation Ark facility with aim to release captive-born youngsters back into the wild.

Conservation organisation Aussie Ark is partnering with the University of Newcastle for a nation-first breeding and rewilding program of the endangered Littlejohn’s Tree Frog (LJTF), with 29 adult frogs transferred into specialised aquaria in the Conservation Ark facility on the Central Coast of New South Wales at the Australian Reptile Park.

Littlejohn’s Tree Frog (Litoria littlejohni) is a dark brown speckled amphibian that grows to approximately seven centimetres in length, with a limited distribution in the NSW Sydney Basin from Watagan State Forest to the southern end of the Woronora Plateau. In the wild the species faces imminent extinction, as habitat loss, climate change, water contamination and the deadly chytrid fungus disease takes its toll.

In a landmark effort to curb this extinction trajectory, Aussie Ark has received 13 males and 16 females from the University of Newcastle’s Centre of Conservation Science to begin an urgently needed insurance breeding program. Unlike most Australian tree frogs, the Littlejohn’s Tree Frog mostly breed during winter so the new cohort have ample time to familiarise themselves with their new habitats and one another.

The 29 animals are an important DNA “rescue” for the species, consisting of both captive-bred and wild-sourced frogs from three different topographical locations in New South Wales ranging from the Watagans to southern Sydney.

University of Newcastle’s leading LJTF researcher Dr Kaya Klop-Toker acknowledged Aussie Ark as the ‘go to’ organisation to ensure the project’s long-term success.

“We are very happy to be partnering with Aussie Ark - we know they are experts at breeding endangered species and making positive impact for conservation,” Dr Klop-Toker said. “We had a big team help deliver the frogs today including PhD and undergraduate students, husbandry experts, and project leaders. We are all so excited about this day.”

Aussie Ark Deputy Managing Director Liz Gabriel is thrilled to welcome the frogs to Conservation Ark, acknowledging the power of teamwork.

“This project is a wonderful example of conservation and academic organisations working together to benefit threatened species,” Ms Gabriel said. “By combining our unique skillsets and drawing on our collective strength, we are determined to secure a brighter future for this animal that otherwise faces extermination in the wild.”

In the future, Aussie Ark plans to release youngsters back into the wild to help bolster the wild populations. Frogs play a vital role in ecology, keeping insect populations in check, providing food for other native species, and acting as a barometer for the health of our waterways.