Hopes high as hundreds of critically endangered frogs survive release into wild in Victoria

More than 600 captive-bred spotted tree frogs have joined the dwindling wild population near Mount Beauty – and so far more than half have been found again

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Hundreds of captive-bred, critically endangered frogs are managing to survive after being released at a fast-flowing mountain stream near Mount Beauty in Victoria, with some moving a “considerable distance” from the release point.

More than 600 spotted tree frogs have joined dwindling wild populations in the Kiewa River, as part of a Zoos Victoria conservation breeding program to boost numbers and genetic diversity after 50% of the frog’s Victorian habitat was severely burnt in the 2019-20 black summer bushfires.