The Kihansi spray toad used to live in the spray region of the Kihansi waterfall, in Tanzania, and relied heavily on the spray from the waterfall to maintain a constant temperature and humidity in its environment. But due to the construction of a dam which funded by the World Bank, the waterfall has been disrupted, and the Kihansi spray toad has recently been declared Extinct in the Wild.
A number of small populations of this species exist in US zoos, and in spit of several setbacks with the initial population of 500 animals that were collected, the current population now sits at around 470 animals.
How many more species will become extinct in the wild, relying entirely on ex situ “ark” populations for their survival, before we start to take better care of our planet and ALL of its inhabitants?
More information on the Kihansi spray toad can be found here.
Frog Matters 
November 16, 2009 at 2:38 pm
I love this blog. It’s absolutely needed, and I am glad people are coming here daily for science news on the world of amphibians. Unfortunately this is a sad example of extinction…but the public needs to know.
November 16, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Thanks for your feedback.
Any extinction, is of course final, and should be avoided at all costs. Hopefully, if we can raise enough awareness of the issues that lead to population declines, we might all, collectively, be able to make a difference, and to preserve the planet for future generations.
April 11, 2010 at 4:00 pm
that figure is wrong btw, im an AS level student doing my cswk on the whole issue, ive looked up so many sites, according to WCS the number of toads in the zoos are around 4000 individuals. Its not just because of the spray btw.. its not just the dam to blame for but also the researchers who may have introduced the chytridiomycosis fungus which wiped out the majority of the population. Although habitat destruction was a factor so was the fungus which wiped out 1/3 of amphibian species since 1980.
November 22, 2009 at 7:04 pm
What is the possibility of setting up any in-situ isolated sites, after the fungus has burned itself out?
November 29, 2009 at 8:15 am
A draft Kihansi Spray Toad Reintroduction Plan is currently being reviewed, and it is hoped that this will be finalized in the first quarter of 2010. Although the plan is not yet ready for release, it builds on a Population and Habitat Viability Assessment (PHVA) workshop that was held in Tanzania in May 2007, which produced guidance on how Kihansi Spray Toad management challenges could be handled by developing a recovery plan for the species.
The plan seeks to assess the liklihood of success of any reintroductions prior to them being undertaken. Stay tuned for further updates!
March 15, 2010 at 6:37 pm
this blog is so fantastic because it reveals unknown stories concerning the world of amphibians.
August 16, 2011 at 10:29 pm
A sad day for amphibians and any humans with a conscience. This is a classic example of human infringement on a natural habitat and is far from an isolated case. The reality is many more extinctions are yet to come and how can they be stopped with an ever increasing global population and food demands? Ex-situ is artificial.
November 23, 2011 at 5:06 pm
[…] The Kihansi spray toad, a species that lives exclusively in the spray of Tanzanian waterfalls, has already been documented as extinct in the wild. […]