Things are hopping at the Detroit Zoo in celebration of all things amphibian as part of the global conservation community's designation of 2008 Year of the Frog. The cooperative campaign focuses attention on endangered amphibians and the critical work being done by zoos and aquariums to save them.

More than a third of the planet's 6,000 amphibian species are threatened with extinction due to  habitat loss, climate change, pollution, pesticides, introduced species, over-collection and infectious diseases, including a deadly parasitic fungus called amphibian chytrid.

Among its many amphibian successes in 2007, the Detroit Zoo produced toadlets through a collaborative captive breeding program for the federally endangered Wyoming toad. The Zoo has also acheived recent success breeding the endagered Panama golden frog and Emperor Newt.

The Zoo's Education Department is highlighting frogs in the program offerings for 2008. Click here to download the Year of the Frog brochure. Featured programs include Digital Frog 2.5 for classes to virtually dissect a frog, helping to save some of the millions of frogs used in classrooms each year.