From Richard Griffiths, The Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent, Canterbury
Your report that it may be impossible to breed Australian frogs in captivity without in vitro fertilisation underestimates the potential of amphibians in captive-breeding programmes (This Week, 7 October). Many frogs, including some Australian species, have been successfully bred in captivity for several generations using conventional methods.
Indeed, amphibians may be more appropriate for captive-breeding and release programmes than many of the more popular “enigmatic animal groups. Their high fecundity means that populations can be built up rapidly, and unlike animals which display a high degree of learnt behaviour, prerelease training for the wild is not necessary – a frog raised entirely on crickets in the lab will not turn its nose up at a wild spider. In addition, the facilities needed for keeping and breeding amphibians are remarkably inexpensive.
The captive-breeding of threatened amphibians, such as the Mallorcan midwife toad and Puerto Rican crested toad, have proved to be successful and cost-effective programmes that should serve as models for other species. IVF may have a role in the breeding and conservation of amphibians, but this should be alongside other tried-and-tested methodologies.
