Rare newts in Prospect Park Zoo may be extinct in the wild
By Phyllis Sena
Photo Credit: Julie Larsen Maher © WCS
The Prospect Park Zoo in Brooklyn, New York City, is now home to five critically endangered Kaiser’s spotted newts (Neurergus kaiseri).
These black, white, and orange amphibians are found only in a five-square-mile region in Iran. Severe habitat loss and the illegal trade of these rare amphibians has driven the species to possibly be extinct in the wild, and they are officially ranked as critically endangered by the IUCN. The Kaiser’s spotted newts live in the Animals in Art exhibit at the WCS Prospect Park Zoo, which is also home to a Amphibian Crisis exhibit that highlights the serious challenges amphibians face around the world.
For related information, see the article: Forgotten Species: the fiery Luristan Newt
