To the waters and the wild for 500 Natterjack toadlets

500 Natterjack Toadlets being released near the sand dunes

The release is part of a nature conservation partnership between the National Parks and Wildlife Service and Dingle Oceanworld

Minister for Nature, Heritage, and Electoral Reform Malcolm Noonan, (centre) with Philip Buckley, Divisional Manager, NPWS, William Hunt, Conservation Ranger, NPWS, Seamus O'Grady, Tralee Oyster Society, Greg Reidy, Conservation Ranger, NPWS, Dr Ferdia Marnell, NPWS, Daniel Buckley, NPWS Conservation Ranger, Niall O’Donnchú, Director General, NPWS, Dr Sharon Lynch, Senior Fellow School of BEES, ERI and AFDC, and Denis O'Shea Chairman, Tralee Oyster Society.

Minister Noonan (centre) with,from left, Dr Ferdia Marnell, NPWS, and Niall O’Donnchú, Director General, NPWS

500 Natterjack Toadlets have been released into Ireland’s eighth national park, Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara, Ciarraí

Minister for Nature, Heritage, and Electoral Reform Malcolm Noonan (left) and Niall O’Donnchú, Director General, NPWS

A total of 500 Natterjack toadlets have today been released into the sand dunes at Inch Peninsula in Dingle as part of an NPWS nature conservation project to halt the decline of the endangered species.

Speaking at the release Minister for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan, said it is such a great example of science and the local community working together to halt the decline of this iconic species, unique to Castlemaine and Castlegregory.

500 Natterjack toadlets have been released into Ireland’s eighth national park, Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara, Ciarra, í in the sand dunes at Inch Peninsula, by Minister for Nature, Heritage, and Electoral Reform Malcolm Noonan.
Pictures: Valerie O’Sullivan

“This is also the first time for our precious toadlets to be released into Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara, Ciarraí, Ireland’s newest national park. All of us hope that the Páirc, with its spectacular sand dunes here at Inch is a place where they can continue to breed and thrive,” he remarked.

Natterjacks are particularly vulnerable to predators and also depend on shallow ponds for their survival at an early stage of their development. The mortality of Natterjack spawn and tadpoles in the wild can be greater than 90 per cent.

The NPWS has been working with Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium over the past seven years to explore if captive rearing can be used to boost the Natterjack population at Inch.

The mortality of Natterjack spawn and tadpoles in the wild can be greater than 90 per cent

Every year NPWS staff collect toad spawn or tadpoles from Inch in April and May and bring them to Oceanworld where they are reared in special holding tanks until they reach metamorphosis. In July and August they are released back into the wild by NPWS staff.

The captive rearing programme at Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium has reduced the mortality rate of this endangered species to less than 25 per cent. 2,500 toadlets have been released back into Inch this year, including those released today.

The sand dune system at Inch is one of the largest and finest in Europe and has long been recognised as one of the most important breeding sites in the country for Natterjacks. It is designated under Castlemaine Harbour Special Area of Conservation and Special Protection Area, and is surrounded by the Castlemaine Harbour Nature Reserve.

Niall O’Donnchú, Director General of NPWS, remarked: “This event is a reminder of how national parks can protect some of our most vulnerable species in Ireland.

“The main objective of Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara, Ciarraí is the protection and celebration of nature and biodiversity. The dedication and commitment of the team at Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium as a partner on this conservation project really shows how invested the community here is in protecting nature.”