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Utah's Hogle Zoo
Protecting the Western Toad
Species Stats
- Current population in the wild: Unknown
- Population Status: Decreasing/ Declining
- Located in: Western North America (from Alaska to Baja California).
Western toads, also known as Boreal toads, are found along the western stretches of North America from Alaska to Baja California. Western toads are native to Utah and found in high elevation wetland areas.
Populations are declining in Utah and across their entire range over the last 20 years with the primary factors being habitat disturbance, such as livestock grazing, recreational activities and development, and the fungal disease chytrid, which affects amphibians globally.
In 2015 we opened the zoo’s Western Toad Conservation Center and in 2024, we opened the Utah Amphibian Conservation Room in the Norma W. Matheson Education Animal Center in the Wild Utah exhibit that houses Western toads collected as eggs from the Paunsaugunt Plateau. Utah populations of Western toads are geographically isolated from others, and have evolved unique genetics. This distinct population is in rapid decline due to habitat alteration and chytrid fungus.
In August 2021, UHZ released our first 64 toads back onto the Paunsaugunt. We will continue to protect and breed these toads, augmenting the Pausaugunt population by reintroducing their offspring to their original habitat.
This work is done in partnership with:
- Wahweap Warm Water Fish Hatchery
- Loveland Living Planet Aquarium
- Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium
- Denver Zoo
Utah’s Hogle Zoo has a team of full time staff in our Informal Science Education Enhancement program who travel statewide visiting every single 2nd grade classroom in Utah as part of the iSEE program. Annually, this team reaches between 10,000 and 14,000 children, educating them about Utah habitats with the help of our ambassador animals. Western toads are some of the many animals that travel with this team.
Surveying the mountain lakes and streams in which Western toads are found can be time consuming. For this reason the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) and Forest Service need assistance to successfully monitor and survey Western toads every year.
Utah’s Hogle Zoo has a full time, dedicated staff member who leads these surveys. Data collected is shared with the Forest Service and the UDWR. These monitoring efforts are also part of our citizen science program.
Click below to see our community science monitoring calendar and sign up to go out with our zoo conservation team.
