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Natterjack Toad success story in west Kerry

The Natterjack Toad walks rather than hops like a frog and it has a bright yellow line running down its back.

Jim Hurley

Last week, national news media brought us good news of another successful wildlife conservation story: the release into the wild of Ireland’s first captive-bred Natterjack toadlets.

Toads differ from frogs in that they walk on all fours rather than hopping on their hind legs like frogs. The Natterjack Toad is the only species of toad native to Ireland. In fact, we have only three species of native amphibian: the Common Frog, the Natterjack Toad, and the Smooth Newt.

The natural range of the Natterjack Toad is restricted to the coastal zones of Castlemaine Harbour and Castlegregory in Co Kerry. The species suffered significant losses in range and population in the early 20th century due to land reclamation and changes in agricultural practises in these areas.

The conservation project in Co Kerry is a joint initiative between the government’s National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and Fota Wildlife Park in Co Cork. To date, some 6,000 toadlets have been released and farmers are being paid to create ponds and to protect the toad’s habitat to ensure the continued survival of this endangered species.

This year’s cohort of 500 more toadlets includes toads bred in captivity for the first time. Predation of natterjack tadpoles is a significant cause of mortality in the wild. To avoid predators, Natterjacks typically breed in shallow, sunny ponds. The prolonged spell of warm, dry weather during both late spring and summer this year caused many toad ponds to dry out with the loss of large numbers of eggs and tadpoles. In such dry times, the natural mortality rate can be as high as 90%.

Consequently, staff from the NPWS collected toad spawn and tadpoles from ponds in the wild and transported them to Fota Wildlife Park where they were carefully looked after in special holding tanks over the summer months. Following metamorphosis, the resulting toadlets were then returned to the species’ native range in west Kerry.

Latest estimates put the population at less than 10,000 individuals in the wild. As a result the Natterjack Toad is considered to be endangered in Ireland. The ongoing initiative of the NPWS, actively supported by farmers in west Kerry, is a conservation success story.