Seoul Grand Park Zoo and the National Institute of Ecology released 100 captive-bred gold-spotted pond frogs into a ditch near Jeongyang Marsh in Hapcheon, South Gyeongsang Province, earlier this week. The release is part of a conservation effort to rescue the endangered species, also known as the Seoul pond frog, from habitat loss and population decline. Researchers chose frogs from the Hapcheon regional lineage, screened them for wildlife pathogens, and tagged larger specimens for tracking.
Seoul Grand Park zookeepers release gold-spotted pond frogs in Hapcheon, South Gyeongsang Province. Courtesy of Seoul Grand Park
In a quiet, overgrown agricultural ditch near the Jeongyang Marsh in Hapcheon, South Gyeongsang Province, 100 captive-bred gold-spotted pond frogs slid gently into the shallow water earlier this week.
The release, carried out jointly by the Seoul Grand Park Zoo and the National Institute of Ecology, marks the latest scientific effort to rescue an iconic amphibious species from a silent extinction.
Known scientifically as Pelophylax chosenicus — and colloquially as the "Seoul pond frog" — the bright green amphibian with vibrant gold stripes running along its back was once ubiquitous across the rural wetlands of the Korean Peninsula. However, decades of aggressive urban expansion, shrinking agricultural land, heavy use of chemical pesticides and invasive predators have severely eroded its natural habitat, driving wild population numbers into a steep, alarming decline.
