Save The Frogs Day: Taipei Zoo Ex-situ Conservation Breeds 2,000 Nidirana shyhhuangi
On Save The Frogs Day, the Taipei Zoo announced that it has bred over 2,000 Nidirana shyhhuangi (Yuchih Tree Frog) through an ex-situ conservation program since 2023. This endemic Taiwanese species is listed as critically endangered, and the zoo shared its unique habitat requirements and breeding techniques.
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- 📰 Published: April 28, 2026 at 14:08
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CENTRAL NEWS AGENCY
(Central News Agency reporter Yang Shu-Min, Taipei, 28th) April 28th is Save The Frogs Day. The Taipei Zoo today shared the results of its ex-situ conservation population, part of the Ministry of Agriculture's Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency's endangered animal conservation action plan. Since 2023, the zoo has cultivated at least 2,000 young Nidirana shyhhuangi (Yuchih Tree Frogs).
The Taipei Zoo issued a press release explaining that "Save The Frogs Day" aims to call global attention to the extinction crisis of amphibians. The endangered animal conservation action plan, in which the zoo participates, is executed in cooperation with the Biodiversity Research Institute of the Ministry of Agriculture for ex-situ restoration.
The zoo stated that Nidirana shyhhuangi is currently distributed only in two wetlands in Yuchi Township, Nantou County: Lianhua Lake and Sun Moon Lake. The total habitat area is only about 0.015 square kilometers, and the adult population is estimated to be only 300 to 700 individuals. Due to its extremely limited distribution, it is listed as critically endangered (NCR) in the "2024 Taiwan Amphibian Red List."
The zoo emphasized that Nidirana shyhhuangi has limited wild distribution and a small population size, making it vulnerable to extinction from single events within a short period, such as agricultural pollution, waste dumping, forest development, human interference, and drastic weather changes.
Therefore, the zoo said, in 2022, they received tadpoles rescued by the Biodiversity Research Institute when water levels dropped in autumn, which could not enter the water. They attempted to establish artificial breeding techniques, and in May 2023, began pairing Nidirana shyhhuangi within the zoo for breeding, hoping to maintain a stable ex-situ satellite population.
Due to the unique mud-nesting habit of Nidirana shyhhuangi, male frogs dig a pot-shaped mud nest and call inside to attract females for breeding and egg-laying. The care team configured humid, loose, and sticky soil, combined with plants to provide multi-layered space, maintained humidity with an automatic sprinkler system, and used inverted coconut shells for shelter, creating a safe space for male frogs to build their nests.
The zoo said that caregivers found that in such a sufficiently hidden environment, male frogs seemed not to expend extra effort to close the opening of the mud nest, thus forming larger-mouthed mud nests. Although the hatching rate of Nidirana shyhhuangi eggs and tadpoles in ex-situ care is still challenging, under specialized techniques and nursery care, pairing and egg-laying willingness is high, and at least 2,000 young frogs have been continuously bred to date.
The zoo added that Nidirana shyhhuangi was originally considered part of the Ryukyu harp frog population. In February 2025, a research team composed of National Taiwan Normal University, the Biodiversity Research Institute of the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Forestry Research Institute of the Ministry of Agriculture published research results. Based on three sets of evidence—genetics, calls, and morphology—the species previously known in Taiwan as the harp frog was published as an independent species and named after Professor Chen Shih-Huang, its initial discoverer, as shyhhuangi in its Latin scientific name. (Edited by Chang Ming-Kun) 1150428
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(Central News Agency reporter Yang Shu-Min, Taipei, 28th) April 28th is Save The Frogs Day. The Taipei Zoo today shared the results of its ex-situ conservation population, part of the Ministry of Agriculture's Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency's endangered animal conservation action plan. Since 2023, the zoo has cultivated at least 2,000 young Nidirana shyhhuangi (Yuchih Tree Frogs).
The Taipei Zoo issued a press release explaining that "Save The Frogs Day" aims to call global attention to the extinction crisis of amphibians. The endangered animal conservation action plan, in which the zoo participates, is executed in cooperation with the Biodiversity Research Institute of the Ministry of Agriculture for ex-situ restoration.
The zoo stated that Nidirana shyhhuangi is currently distributed only in two wetlands in Yuchi Township, Nantou County: Lianhua Lake and Sun Moon Lake. The total habitat area is only about 0.015 square kilometers, and the adult population is estimated to be only 300 to 700 individuals. Due to its extremely limited distribution, it is listed as critically endangered (NCR) in the "2024 Taiwan Amphibian Red List."
The zoo emphasized that Nidirana shyhhuangi has limited wild distribution and a small population size, making it vulnerable to extinction from single events within a short period, such as agricultural pollution, waste dumping, forest development, human interference, and drastic weather changes.
Therefore, the zoo said, in 2022, they received tadpoles rescued by the Biodiversity Research Institute when water levels dropped in autumn, which could not enter the water. They attempted to establish artificial breeding techniques, and in May 2023, began pairing Nidirana shyhhuangi within the zoo for breeding, hoping to maintain a stable ex-situ satellite population.
Due to the unique mud-nesting habit of Nidirana shyhhuangi, male frogs dig a pot-shaped mud nest and call inside to attract females for breeding and egg-laying. The care team configured humid, loose, and sticky soil, combined with plants to provide multi-layered space, maintained humidity with an automatic sprinkler system, and used inverted coconut shells for shelter, creating a safe space for male frogs to build their nests.
The zoo said that caregivers found that in such a sufficiently hidden environment, male frogs seemed not to expend extra effort to close the opening of the mud nest, thus forming larger-mouthed mud nests. Although the hatching rate of Nidirana shyhhuangi eggs and tadpoles in ex-situ care is still challenging, under specialized techniques and nursery care, pairing and egg-laying willingness is high, and at least 2,000 young frogs have been continuously bred to date.
The zoo added that Nidirana shyhhuangi was originally considered part of the Ryukyu harp frog population. In February 2025, a research team composed of National Taiwan Normal University, the Biodiversity Research Institute of the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Forestry Research Institute of the Ministry of Agriculture published research results. Based on three sets of evidence—genetics, calls, and morphology—the species previously known in Taiwan as the harp frog was published as an independent species and named after Professor Chen Shih-Huang, its initial discoverer, as shyhhuangi in its Latin scientific name. (Edited by Chang Ming-Kun) 1150428
Choose to stand with the facts, every sponsorship from you is the power to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency's "First-hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news.
The text, images, and audio-visual content on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and utilized without authorization.