Species

Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis

Common Name(s)

Eastern Hellbender

Region where program is based

North America

Country where program is based

United States

The authority that recommended this species for an ex situ program

Conservation Needs Assessment Workshop

Has a genetic analysis been performed on wild populations to define the target taxon, i.e., verify that single, viable Evolutionarily Significant Units (ESU's) that are managed as separate populations, are not confounded by cryptic species or polymorphisms?

Yes

Name of the institution managing the ex situ population

Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife

Year the program started

2017

Is at least some portion of the captive population maintained in range country?

Yes

Are sufficient resources available to manage the ex situ population?

Yes

Are adequate numbers of skilled staff available with the appropriate ex situ amphibian experience?

Yes

Is sufficient space available for the required population size?

Yes

Additional Support required

Has a Taxon Management Coordinator for the ex situ population been appointed?

Yes

Taxon Management Coordinator

Zack Couch of Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife

Has a Taxon Management Group or Recovery Team been established?

Has a Taxon Management Plan, Recovery Plan or Species Action Statement been written?

Web link to Taxon Management Plan

Have Husbandry Guidelines been written?

Web link to Husbandry Management Guidelines

Have any knowledge gaps in the species biology or in their interaction with potential threats been identified that could benefit from research using the ex situ population?

Have founder needs been calculated using the AArk Amphibian Population Management Guidelines ?

Have sufficient potential founders been collected? ( AArk Amphibian Population Management Guidelines recommends a minimum of 20 pairs of found animals).

Is the ex situ population managed by nationals from the range country?

Yes

What tools are used to maximize retention of genetic diversity?

Has the population produced viable offspring?

No

Have the first generation captive-bred animals bred successfully?

Not applicable

Is the ex situ population housed in permanent isolation from other populations occurring outside its range?

Yes

Is work being supported to study and mitigate threats to the species in the wild, either by the institution or by a regional wildlife agency?

Have captive-bred or captive-reared animals been released into the wild?

Yes

If releases were undertaken, have disease screening protocols or veterinary health checks been conducted prior to releases to the wild?

Is follow-up work being carried out to monitor progress of the released animals?

Is the taxon again secure in the wild, even if it might still require some ongoing in situ management? i.e. has the need for a captive assurance population been obviated such that we can call this a successfully terminated captive rescue program?

No

Comments

October 2022: Officials from the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) say they have released some hellbenders after raising them in a lab. Officials say in conjunction with researchers from Purdue University, KDFWR staff collected hellbender egg masses in Kentucky streams to raise them in a lab environment. The agency says this increased the survival of the hellbender young by 50 times what is observed in the wild. Officials say after being raised for several years in the lab, the hellbenders were recently released into Kentucky streams. This is the first ever release of lab-raised hellbenders into Kentucky. Zack Couch, the wildlife diversity program coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, said, “Kentucky Fish and Wildlife released 25 eastern hellbenders". https://www.tristatehomepage.com/news/local-news/lab-raised-hellbenders-released-into-the-wild-for-the-first-time/