One year of Amphibium – the Story behind the scenery

July 9, 2025In News

Curtains up for Fire Salamanders, Foot-flagging Frogs and Fire-bellied Toads: in May 2024, the Amphibium, the amphibian house designed by Frogs & Friends, opened at Hanover Adventure Zoo. It is literally geared towards citizen conservation and introduce our conservation breeding initiative to a wide audience.

Fascination and motivation

The mission of the modern exhibition: to inspire enthusiasm for the wonderful world of this group of animals through impressive terrariums and aquariums that are as close to nature as possible, complete with numerous additional features such as games, videos and hands-on exhibits, and then to highlight the dramatic threats they face while also demonstrating what can be done to combat these threats: targeted conservation breeding programmes in human care, in zoos and by private individuals from civil society, as we bring together at Citizen Conservation.

Then tell us how it all began ...

The magazine ‘Darwin & Goliath’, published by Frogs & Friends, now tells the whole story, from the planning team’s initial ideas on how to turn a pasta restaurant and a ball pit into a habitat for frogs and newts, the educational aspects behind the project are examined, and the zoo director is asked about his experiences after a year with these animals, which have to prove themselves in direct competition with elephants at the zoo. Finally, the article takes a look at how this most endangered of all vertebrate groups is actually presented in the zoo community as a whole. In three step-by-step stories, you can take a direct look over the shoulders of the terrarium construction team. Be there almost live as a large aquarium weighing several tonnes for Titicaca Water Frogs or a walk-in rainforest terrarium for Golden Poison Frogs is created!

The whole story is available free of charge

‘Darwin & Goliath’ is available free of charge from Frogs & Friends in print and for download on the website, in German and English. Because it is important to spread the message around the world, in line with the Frogs & Friends motto: ‘Big stories from small messengers’. And the CC motto ‘Keep them safe’ is once again in full effect – right on the cover, where the lettering adorns the central ‘species wall’ in the Amphibium.