Hundreds of Endangered Wyoming Toads Released Into Wild

The state is making efforts to boost the population of the endangered Wyoming Toad as the Wyoming Game & Fish Department released 700 of the toads at multiple sites near Laramie.

According to the Cowboy State Daily, the Wyoming Toad (also known as Baxter's Toad) was known to be extinct back in 1985 before a small population of the species was discovered in Albany County in 1987. Several departments have been working since then to grow the population of the toad, including the University of Wyoming, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Association of Zoos & Aquariums, and National Fish Hatchery, all while working with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

The toads are ready to breed upon being released since they were raised in captivity. Wendy Estes-Zumpf, herpetological coordinator for the Game and Fish Department indicated that progress is being made for the Wyoming Toad species:

They’re doing better than they have in the past...In the past 10 years the team has developed a strategy for evaluating reintroduction techniques. There has been more research, we’ve seen an increase in the number of toads and we’ve definitely increased our knowledge on the ecology of the toads.

The rare toad's species is certainly one more unique creature that makes up the fascinating wildlife of Wyoming's environment.