Amphibians are facing the most severe extinction crisis of any vertebrate group. Zoos are increasingly critical for ex-situ conservation of species extinct or nearly so in the wild.
Amphibian welfare in captivity is primarily an environmental management challenge — getting temperature, humidity, UV light, water chemistry, and substrate exactly right is the foundation of adequate welfare. Amphibians exposed to incorrect conditions show immune compromise, skin disease, and metabolic bone disease before obvious behavioral signs of distress appear. Their conservation role is increasingly critical: without zoo-based insurance populations, dozens of species would already be extinct. The tension between maintaining welfare of individual animals and the urgency of conservation breeding for critically endangered species is navigated through ongoing research into captive husbandry protocols.