A joint project between National Parks and Wildlife Service and Fota Wildlife Park has seen over 9,000 natterjack toadlets released in Kerry.
This year 1,600 toadlets were released around their native Castlegregory into ponds which were specially created for them by local farmers
Pictures: Valerie O’Sullivan
The weather this year has been favourable for natterjacks breeding and spawning in the wild.
A further 200 natterjack toadlets were released this Tuesday on a farm in Castlegregory. They have been bred through a joint conservation project between the National Parks and Wildlife Service and Fota which aims to protect this endangered species and work with the local farming community to return it to its natural habitat.
Over 9,000 toadlets have been released since the project began seven years ago.
Minister for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan, who visited Castlegregory to watch the release, said the habitat is unique and the efforts of local farmers to enhance it by creating ponds will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the fortunes of amphibians.
“The farmers will see benefits too through a new results-based scheme designed specifically to support these measures. I’d like to congratulate the conservation teams in the National Parks and Wildlife Service and Fota Wildlife Park, as well as the amazing community here in Kerry that is so committed to the conservation of the habitats and species that also call the Kingdom home,” he said.
Originally native to the areas of Castlemaine Harbour and Castlegregory, the natterjack population declined over time due to land reclamation and as agricultural practices changed. The species is vulnerable to a high mortality rate of 90 per cent in the wild and the toads need access to shallow, sunny ponds to breed and avoid predators.
Conservation efforts to date have focused on the toad’s natural habitat so that the species can breed and thrive. This year’s toadlets were released on a local farm in Castlegregory, into ponds which were created just 10 years ago especially for natterjacks through the NPWS pond creation scheme.
Farmers can also now avail of new, results based farm plan scheme specifically for natterjack toads.
This conservation project involves NPWS staff collecting spawn and eggs from ponds, which are brought to Fota Wildlife Park where they are cared for and reared in special holding tanks. This approach, known as captive rearing has been shown to reduce their mortality rate to as low as 25 per cent. Following metamorphosis, the toadlets are returned to their native Kerry.
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