You can help our conservation efforts by making a tax-deductible donation to Utah’s Hogle Zoo.
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 (boreal) toads occur in western North America, from Alaska to Baja California. Western toads are native to Utah and found in high–elevation wetland areas. Over the past two decades, populations have declined in Utah and other parts of their range. The primary causes of these declines are habitat disturbance, such as livestock grazing and recreational activities; the deadly chytrid fungal disease; pollution, such as runoff from roads; development and urban expansion; drought; and climate change.
In 2015, Utah’s Hogle Zoo established an area dedicated to breeding western toads. Then, in 2024, Hogle Zoo opened the Utah Amphibian Conservation Center in the Norma W. Matheson Education Animal Center in the Wild Utah exhibit. The Amphibian Conservation Center houses western toads collected as eggs from the Paunsaugunt Plateau in southern Utah. Special attention was given to the Paunsaugunt population, given its highly threatened status. Hogle Zoo has partnered with other institutions to breed Utah toads, including Wahweap Warm Water Fish Hatchery, Loveland Living Planet Aquarium, Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, and Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance. Offspring from these toads will continue to be reintroduced to their natural habitat to restore population stability.
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.
Hogle Zoo has conducted western (boreal) toad surveys since 2014. We have gathered valuable data about Utah’s rare amphibians by collaborating with Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Sageland Collaborative, and the U.S. Forest Service. Through our community science programs, you can help the zoo and its partners monitor western toads and other amphibians. Click for the community science calendar below and sign up for an exciting field excursion.
