Purdue University is partnering with three Indiana zoos and the state in a conservation program that will involve raising year-old hellbender salamanders and then returning them a few years later to their southern Indiana habitat to be tracked.

Rod Williams, associate professor of wildlife science and leader of the university’s hellbender effort, approached officials at Columbian Park Zoo in Lafayette, Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo and Mesker Park Zoo in Evansville about joining the program, which also includes the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

North America’s largest salamander is in decline nationally and is most vulnerable to predators when young. “Mortality can be as high as 99 percent in the wild,” Williams said. “By rearing them in captivity for three to four years, they will have a much better survival rate.” Read the full article from Purdue Agriculture News.

Resources
Help the Hellbender, Purdue University
Aquaculture Research Lab, Department of Forestry and Natural Resources
The Nature of Teaching, The Education Store, Purdue Extension (Search “Nature of Teaching” for a list of all available lessons)

Rod Williams​, Associate Professor of Wildlife Science
Department of Forestry and Natural Resources (FNR), Purdue University