Panama Amphibian Rescue And Conservation Project

The Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project seeks to rescue and establish assurance colonies of amphibian species that are in extreme danger of extinction throughout Panama. The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s Center for Species Survival focuses efforts and expertise on developing methodologies to reduce the impact of the amphibian chytrid fungus (called Bd) so that one day, captive amphibians may be reintroduced to the wild. The project is a partnership between the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, the Houston Zoo, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and Zoo New England. The rescue project currently has two facilities in Panama: the Gamboa Amphibian Research and Conservation Center at STRI, and the El Valle Amphibian Conservation Center at the Nispero Zoo. Combined, these facilities have full-time staff caring for a collection of 12 endangered species in about 8,000 square feet of ex-situ facilities. The rescue project’s new laboratory for conducting research on the captive collection welcomes new project partners or research collaborations that use our living collection, prioritizing research that may allow us to conduct successful reintroductions of amphibians into Bd-positive habitats.