Translocation of Romer’s Tree Frog in Hong Kong SAR, China

Summary

Romer's tree frog (then Philautus romeri, now tentatively Chirixalus), endemic to four small Hong Kong islands, was threatened when Chek Lap Kok island was chosen in 1989 as the site for Hong Kong's new airport. From late 1991, the University of Hong Kong, funded by the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities, ran rescue operations through December 1992 while the new airport's construction was already underway, salvaging frogs for captive breeding at the University and, through the IUCN/SSC Captive Breeding Specialist Group network, at Melbourne Zoo and Frankfurt Zoo, with Melbourne-bred frogs transferred back to Hong Kong for eventual release. Genetic studies found meaningful differentiation among the four islands' populations, ruling out moving Chek Lap Kok frogs to the other three islands, so researchers instead identified suitable, previously frog-free release sites on the New Territories mainland and Hong Kong Island. Trial tadpole releases at three sites in 1993 were monitored weekly, with marked adults released only after tadpoles survived and grew; once tadpoles successfully metamorphosed and calling males were detected, releases expanded to five more sites in 1994. Annual breeding-season monitoring for calling males and tadpoles continued after the project ended, eventually passed to Hong Kong's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department and the Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden. The project rated itself Successful, crediting substantial funding, a consistently committed lead researcher, strong institutional backing, and an external zoo partnership that spread the risk of captive-management failure.