6–10 October 2008
Location: Margaret River, Western Australia
Perth Zoo Field Workers: Dr Helen Robertson (Director of Animal Health and Research), Caroline Lawrence (Research Officer), and Lisa Mantellato and Renee Kruger (Native Species Breeding Program keepers).
Goals
White-bellied Frog.
Under permits issued by the Department of Environment and Conservation, the aim was to collect two pairs of Orange-bellied Frogs (Geocrinia vitellina) and two nests of eggs to bring back to Perth Zoo to learn about their husbandry and breeding.
We also wanted to collect five pairs of White-bellied Frogs (Geocrinia alba) and two nests of eggs for the same purpose. Both species are threatened and part of Perth Zoo’s frog breeding research program.
Achievements
Two male Orange-bellied Frogs were collected. One nest of eggs was found but it was infertile. Apparently, around 40% of the egg nests found in that area are infertile which is of great concern.
We marked another 14 males’ nests to come back to later to check for egg nests. We collected three male White-bellied Frogs and found two good fertile egg nests with good embryos in them.
Highlights
Lisa Mantellato in the field.
Finding the egg nests for the White-bellied Frogs was very exciting. Hopefully we can learn a lot from this find.
We will monitor the growth and development of the young metamorphs that emerge from the egg nest and attempt to breed with them when they are adults.
Challenges
The terrain was very difficult as were the working conditions, which included mosquitoes and thick undergrowth. Perhaps a greater challenge was the fact there are very few White-bellied Frogs left so they were very hard to find.
Benefits
Male Orange-bellied Frogs will assist with the breeding program as we already have a few females so we can attempt to breed them. Having White-bellied Frogs means we can start work on their husbandry including their preferred habitat, diet, temperature, humidity and a whole lot more. The embryos in the nests we collected will hopefully grow into frogs so we can keep records of their growth and development.
Staff learned so much about field work including issues such as biosecurity/quarantine, safety, the importance of record keeping, use of 4WD vehicles, teamwork, planning and logistics.
Other Notes
White-bellied Frog habitat.
Being out in the field certainly put it all into perspective. By seeing the animals’ natural habitats first-hand, we are already a step ahead in replicating that environment back at the Zoo. It also delivered a sobering insight into these species’ precarious existence. For example, Orange-bellied Frogs are only found in a very tiny area and if that habitat disappears, what’s going to happen to them?
Working with DEC staff, we now have a good appreciation of what they do on a regular basis. We only went down for four days. They do weeks of similar work, especially when monitoring populations in the breeding season – and all this on top of their normal routines.
