Making Mount Beauty hoppier: An amphibian in danger gets a genetic boost

Seventy juvenile spotted tree frogs were returned to the area as part of a funded conservation and release program overseen by Zoos Victoria.

A further 300 tadpoles and other frog species have also been released across the river system.

This is the first release into the area since 26 frogs were taken from multiple sites in 2021 after the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires. They were placed into the program for a chance of rehabilitation and successful breeding to grow the population again.

The bushfires destroyed 50 per cent of known spotted tree frog habitat in Victoria.

The small green amphibians with bumpy skin are critically endangered, with the populations declining due to chytridiomycosis, a disease caused by fungus. Other factors of their decline include natural disasters and predation by non-native fish.

As part of the program, more than 800 amphibians have now been bred at the Bushfire Recovery Centre at Melbourne Zoo and Threatened Amphibian Biolab at Healesville Sanctuary.

The initiative is supported by many organisations including the Australian government.

Zoos Victoria chief executive Jenny Gray is pleased to see the frogs return to the region.

"Zoos Victoria is thrilled to return critically endangered spotted tree frogs to their wild home to bolster the species' resilience against the threat of bushfire," Dr Gray said.

"It's a privilege to introduce robust genetics to sustain local Victorian populations for years to come."