Toads raised at Toledo Zoo released into the wild

Kihansi spray toad in a secure area at the Toledo Zoo in 2010. THE BLADE Enlarge | Buy This Photo

A thousand tiny Kihansi spray toads raised at the Toledo Zoo were released Tuesday in the species’ native Tanzania.

Another 1,000 toads from the Bronx Zoo also were released as part of the first large-scale effort to reintroduce the species in the wild. The toads were declared extinct in the wild in 2009.

“A remarkable group of people at the Toledo Zoo and at other organizations worldwide have worked tirelessly to make this happen,” said Jeff Sailer, executive director of the Toledo Zoo. “The reintroduction of these toads has been a major life goal for these dedicated conservationists, some of whom have devoted more than 10 years of their lives to reach this point.”