Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project

Holtzman Wildlife Foundation awarded a grant to the Smithsonian Institution for the construction of an insectarium at the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project.

Amphibians In Need

The Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project seeks to rescue and establish assurance colonies of amphibian species that are in extreme danger of extinction throughout Panama. The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s Center for Species Survival focuses efforts and expertise on developing methodologies to reduce the impact of the amphibian chytrid fungus (called Bd) so that one day, captive amphibians may be reintroduced to the wild.

Feeding Endangered Amphibians

The Smithsonian Institution manages a major research facility in Panama, which now houses 12 amphibian species and more than 2,000 individual adult animals, making it the largest amphibian conservation breeding center in the world. Their grant from Holtzman Wildlife Foundation supported the construction of an insectarium; a facility that will grow insects to feed the amphibian population at the research center.