Amphibians face the greatest extinction crisis of any vertebrate group. Zoo conservation programs are critical, but the welfare of captive amphibians requires specialized knowledge often lacking in facilities.
Zoo amphibian welfare is doubly important: these animals face catastrophic wild extinction and serve as critical insurance populations, making their wellbeing central to conservation goals. Yet amphibian welfare is poorly understood by many zoo practitioners, and husbandry errors — incorrect temperature gradients, inadequate humidity, inappropriate substrate, failure to provide hiding spaces — are common. Stressed amphibians suppress immune function, making them more vulnerable to the chytrid fungus that is decimating wild populations. Welfare and conservation align completely for amphibians: a healthy, behaviorally normal, unstressed captive population is the best conservation insurance. Investment in specialist amphibian husbandry training and welfare research is urgently needed.