California: 653 threatened frogs released in the San Gabriel Mountains

A total of 653 yellow-legged mountain frogs, a threatened species, have been released into the San Gabriel Mountains in California. The two operations took place on August 19 and August 27, 2026, according to the Los Angeles Zoo and the Aquarium of the Pacific.

The teams first returned 338 amphibians to streams in their natural habitat, followed by another 315 eight days later. All of the frogs originated from the breeding program at the Los Angeles Zoo.

Among them, 227 were raised in a new biosecure facility at the zoo, designed to monitor water quality and support tadpoles until they reach a stage where they are less vulnerable to predators.

The Aquarium of the Pacific, for its part, raised 394 animals from this cohort until their metamorphosis. This operation marks its largest release of this species.

Nearly 7,000 frogs already returned to the wild

These two releases bring the total number of frogs bred by the Los Angeles Zoo and subsequently reintroduced to nearly 7,000 since the launch of the conservation program. This initiative involves the US Geological Survey, several zoos, and various federal and California agencies.

The yellow-legged mountain frog, or Rana muscosa, survives only in certain permanent streams in the San Gabriel, San Bernardino, and San Jacinto mountain ranges. Its brown and yellow coloration, sometimes gray or greenish, allows it to blend in with moss and rocks.

The program is set to continue in September with the transfer of approximately 112 tadpoles born at the Los Angeles Zoo to the Santa Ana Zoo, where they will be raised before a future reintroduction.