SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A critically endangered Puerto Rican toad has for the first time been born via in vitro fertilization as U.S. scientists attempt to save it from extinction.
Officials told The Associated Press Friday that the Puerto Rican crested toad — named Olaf in honour of the frozen semen he came from — is one of more than 300 that hatched.
Fort Worth Zoo ectotherm curator Diane Barber said Olaf will remain in Texas but 200 toadlets will be released in Puerto Rico.
She said the other 100 will be sent to zoos with captive breeding programs.
Barber was part of a team that travelled to the southwest town of Guayanilla last year to collect semen from six male Puerto Rican crested toads that were later released back into the wild.
The Associated Press
