Zoo Amphibian Disease Management

Amphibians in zoo collections face severe disease threats from chytrid fungus and ranavirus, requiring intensive biosecurity and welfare management to maintain healthy populations.

Key Facts

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) chytrid fungus has driven 90 amphibian species to extinction or near-extinction
Zoo collections now hold the last surviving individuals of multiple amphibian species
Bd causes fatal skin disease by disrupting electrolyte balance through infected skin
Strict quarantine, antifungal treatment with itraconazole, and biosecurity prevent Bd spread in collections
Ranavirus causes haemorrhagic disease in amphibians and can spread from aquatic wildlife to captive collections
The Amphibian Ark programme coordinates ex-situ conservation of 500+ threatened species globally

Welfare Considerations

Zoo amphibian welfare is inseparable from disease management because the two primary threats - chytrid fungus and ranavirus - cause suffering at individual and population levels simultaneously. Individual welfare during chytrid infection involves progressive physiological deterioration as skin function fails. Population welfare is threatened by the extinction of entire species. Zoo biosecurity protocols that prevent disease introduction and treatment programmes that clear infection from affected animals protect both individual and collective welfare in these critical last-resort conservation collections.

What You Can Do

Support zoos with active amphibian conservation breeding programmes and disease management expertise
Donate to Amphibian Ark and other organisations coordinating global amphibian conservation
Never release captive amphibians into the wild as this can introduce disease to wild populations
Learn about amphibian conservation challenges and share the urgency of chytrid-driven declines