In August 2024, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium marked the release of the 1000th Hellbender back into their native range! In addition to this accomplishment, the event also marked 2000 Hellbenders released through the Ohio Hellbender Partnership, which includes the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, The Wilds, The Ohio State University School of Environment and Natural Resources, The Toledo Zoo, and academic and government organizations. To help preserve the endangered Eastern Hellbender, the largest amphibian in North America, young Hellbenders are:
- Eggs collected in their native range
- Reared in a biosecure facilities unit until they are ready for release at 3-years of age
- Tagged for monitoring purposes
- And finally, re-released into their native ranges
While we’ve hit exciting milestones for Hellbenders, our work isn’t done. We’re excited to launch the new Ohio Center for Wildlife Conservation (OCWC), where Zoo guests will be able to learn about our work with Hellbenders, as well as plains garter snakes, freshwater mussels, and American Burying Beetles. You can keep up to date on this endeavor by visiting https://www.columbuszoo.org/ohio-center-wildlife-conservation The best is surely yet to come!
Be on the prowl for fascinating animal encounters and pop-up zookeeper presentations. With 10,000 animals, on every visit you’ll see something new. Empowering People. Saving Wildlife.
Columbus Zoo
