5,736 animals from 38 species or subspecies, cared for by 297 participants across 501 husbandries – that is the animal population of Citizen Conservation (CC) as of 1 May 2026.

The Mallorca midwife toad has proved to be the star among the CC’s main protagonists. For this species, which is critically endangered on its home island, we have not only achieved our target numbers but have also entered the phase of long-term management. This is because the real challenge of conservation breeding lies in maintaining the ex-situ population in a demographically stable and viable state over decades. That is why we have drawn up a studbook and are managing the CC population in a targeted manner through sales, temporary breeding pauses and the culling of clutches. At the same time, we must ensure that breeding takes place regularly in as many facilities as possible – a thoroughly demanding coordination effort with a welcome message: it works!
The programmes for the Vietnamese crocodile newt, the Madagascar spiny-tailed fish, the tiger barb and the Mangarahara cichlid have also moved from the establishment phase into the long-term management phase. In the case of the Pátzcuaro spiny-toothed newt, only a few facilities remain before the target numbers are reached; breeding itself is now systematic and must also be controlled due to the high number of offspring.
The most spectacular case, however, is the Rio Pescado stump-footed toad. This species, which is threatened with extinction and was even believed to be extinct at one point, was only added to the CC three years ago following the import of the foundation animals from Ecuador. Thanks to the great breeding successes of private keeper Thomas Ackermann and the zoos in Basel and Karlsruhe, it has reproduced so well that we have now exceeded our target numbers. It is now being cared for in 26 facilities, including 12 zoos. However, the numerous new keepers now face the by no means trivial task of successfully breeding the animals – and rearing them, which is a real challenge given the extremely tiny offspring.

In some programmes, breeding successes have now been achieved following what were in some cases difficult initial phases. Things are now looking very encouraging for the poison dart frogs. The Golden Poison Frogs, which are actually considered quite easy to breed, proved somewhat difficult at the start, but the number of offspring is now rising noticeably. There have also been considerable successes with the Phantasmal Poison Frog and the Demonic Poison Frog, which are considered very demanding. The first CC breeding successes have also been achieved in the last six months with Ziegler’s Crocodile Newt and the San Francisco Garter Snake. We now hope that the last holdouts – namely the Loja Marsupial Frog, Smith’s Torrent Frog and the Nguru Pygmy Chameleon – can soon be successfully bred.

Following a prolonged period of consolidation, the number of managed species has also risen noticeably over the last six months. It is particularly pleasing that the newly introduced Roberts’ Cichlid from West Africa has immediately made its mark with the first genuine CC offspring – that’s how it should be! The Orange-eyed Tree Frog, which only arrived in March and of which we now looking after for 166 individuals across 14 husbandries, has made a spectacular debut in terms of both numbers and keepers. That’s quite a statement! We are also delighted to have added another extremely rare poison dart frog species to our collection with Vicente’s Poison Frog, as well as the first specimens of the Psychedelic Rock Gecko, the Sakishima Grass Lizard and the Giant Wall Gecko. Welcome to the club!