Over 250 Rare Black-Bellied Toads Released Back Into Hula Nature Reserve

More than 250 black-bellied toads, a species once mistakenly believed extinct, were released this week into the Hula Nature Reserve from a breeding center at the Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem. On Tuesday morning, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority returned approximately 250 tadpoles, 18 one-year-old frogs, and 12 metamorphs to the reserve, where hundreds of these endangered amphibians already live. The authority hopes to establish additional stable populations both inside and outside the reserve in the future.

The black-bellied toad was considered extinct for decades until 2011, when veteran Hula reserve ranger Yoram Malka discovered a live specimen. The species had been declared extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 1996, primarily due to habitat loss caused by the drying of the Hula wetlands. Named for its short, round tongue and distinctive black belly, the toad was brought into captive breeding programs at the Hula reserve and the Biblical Zoo.

Over the past three years, the zoo’s team has studied the toads’ breeding conditions, diet, and behavior, overcoming many unknowns such as egg size and sex differentiation. Their efforts have resulted in over 500 captive-born toads. Ariel Kedem, the zoo’s nature conservation coordinator, described the breeding program as a major challenge and a great pleasure, noting that this year marks the first time toads are being released back into the wild rather than taken from it.

The Israel Nature and Parks Authority encourages the public to visit the Hula Nature Reserve to enjoy its flora and fauna, though sightings of the elusive black-bellied toad are rare. The toads are nocturnal and tend to hide during the day when the reserve is open, making encounters uncommon. However, occasional visitor reports of sightings offer hope that others may be lucky enough to see this rare species in its natural habitat.