Photo: Atelopus zeteki frogs are living outdoors for the first time in more than twenty years. © The EVACC Foundation
For more than 20 years, the Panamanian golden frog has survived largely behind protective walls, cared for by conservationists working to prevent one of Panama’s most recognizable species from disappearing forever. Now, in El Valle de Antón, Panama, that long effort has reached a meaningful new stage.
Critically endangered Panamanian golden frogs are living outdoors for the first time in more than two decades, a major milestone in the ongoing work to eventually return the species to the wild. Conservationists at El Valle de Antón have moved frogs from indoor holding into carefully monitored open-air enclosures, where they can experience elements of their native environment while remaining protected.
The project focuses on Atelopus zeteki, the iconic yellow-and-black frog that is a national symbol of Panama, as well as Atelopus varius. Frogs are being studied from the tadpole stage as they develop into morphlets, or small first-stage froglets, and then into juveniles.
Throughout the process, conservation teams are tracking growth, weight, and other indicators that may help determine how captive-bred frogs adapt to semi-natural conditions.
“This is the first time since the early 2000s that golden frogs have been allowed to experience the natural elements of El Valle,” said Heidi Ross, Project Manager at the EVACC Foundation. “We’re carefully monitoring how variables like temperature, rainfall, and UV exposure affect their development—information that could be vital for reintroduction efforts.”
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From Emergency Rescue to Outdoor Research
The Panamanian golden frog was last seen in the wild in 2009. Like amphibians around the world, the species was devastated by chytrid fungus, or Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, a deadly disease that threatened to wipe out wild populations. In response, conservationists rescued a small group of frogs and brought them into secure indoor facilities, where they could be protected, bred, and studied.
That emergency action helped keep the species alive, but long-term survival depends on more than maintaining frogs in captivity. Conservation teams must understand what it will take for future generations to survive beyond controlled indoor environments. The new outdoor study is designed to answer some of those questions.
The shaded, screened enclosures allow frogs to encounter natural conditions such as changing temperatures, rainfall, humidity, and sunlight exposure, while researchers continue to monitor them closely. The information gathered through this phase could help shape future reintroduction plans and improve the chances of safely returning the species to its native habitat.
A Shared Effort Across Borders
The study is led by local conservation teams at the EVACC Foundation, with support from the Maryland Zoo, Fort Worth Zoo, Detroit Zoo, Zoo Atlanta, Seneca Park Zoo, and Project Golden Frog, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan for the Panamanian Golden Frog.
“It is incredibly exciting to see the efforts we have made over the past two decades to keep this species healthy in both North America and Panama now moving closer to a day when they are back in the wild in the El Valle de Anton region,” said Ellen Bronson, the senior director of Animal Health, Conservation, and Research at the Maryland Zoo.
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The progress reflects years of international collaboration, scientific care, and commitment. Conservation partners have worked through emergency rescue, captive breeding, disease mitigation, habitat protection, public education, and long-term planning. Support from Hotel Campestre and the Hincapié family has also helped make this next phase possible by providing safe, natural space for the study.
For a species once feared lost from the wild, the sight of young golden frogs developing outdoors is more than a scientific milestone. It is a sign that careful conservation can create new possibilities, even after decades of uncertainty.
Source: Maryland Zoo
