In a first-time partnership with the National Park Service and the High Desert Museum, zoo conservation staff traveled to Crater Lake and transported 19 newts to the zoo's specialized conservation lab. The species faces imminent extinction primarily due to invasive crayfish, which both prey on the newts and compete with them for food sources.
"This marks the first time the Mazama newts will be housed in the Oregon Zoo's conservation lab, which is specifically designed to replicate the lake's natural environment including matching its unique temperatures," said Julia Low, conservation keeper of the zoo's newt program. "If the lake's 38 degrees, it'll be 38 degrees in this lab. We're hoping to rear these animals as naturally as possible."
The Mazama newt was prioritized for rescue after an assessment determined it faced the most immediate threat of extinction among several species. The conservation team's biggest challenge is the limited knowledge about these rare amphibians, requiring collaboration with geneticists and other partners who have successfully reintroduced amphibians to the wild.
If successful, the program aims to breed the newts in captivity with the goal of eventually returning their offspring to their native habitat in Crater Lake, helping to restore a species found nowhere else on Earth.