Twelve Montseny newts – one of
world’s rarest amphibians - hatched as part of joint breeding project with
Catalan authorities
Stacee Smith
Friday 17 November
2017 15.06 GMTLast modified on Friday 17 November
2017 15.50 GMT
Conservationists at Chester Zoo
have successfully bred one of the world’s rarest amphibians – the Catalan newt
– in an attempt to save it from extinction.
The zoo is the first organisation
outside Catalonia to
become involved in the breeding project for the newt, the rarest amphibian in
Europe.
The critically endangered
species, also known as the wild Montseny newt, is from the Montseny mountain
range in north-eastern Catalonia, about 60 miles (100km) north of Barcelona.
The recovery plan is a joint effort
between Chester Zoo, the Barcelona provincial council, the Catalan government
and Barcelona Zoo.
As part of the plan, 12 Montseny
newts have hatched at Chester Zoo, where a team of experts are working to
ensure their continued survival before they are released into the wild.
Experts at Chester have created a
purpose-built breeding facility for the newts, away from all other amphibians
housed at the zoo to ensure their bio-security.
In parallel with the breeding
programme, conservation efforts are also being made to improve the newts’
natural habitat in preparation for their reintroduction – including improving
the water quality and ecological flow of the streams they live in.
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