Zoo boasts unique collection of threatened species

London Zoo became the only zoo in Europe to breed Mallorcan midwife toads this weekend, when it opened its brand new amphibians exhibit.

The zoo's reptile house, built in 1927, has been redesigned to form the new exhibit, which homes more than 15 different amphibian species, including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts and caecilians.

As of Saturday (27 October), visitors are not only able to get up close to the animals, but they can also watch the zoo keepers and scientists in action in the amphibians conservation lab, where they monitor certain species as part of the ZSL's EDGE Amphibians programme.

Amphibians are the most endangered group of animals on earth, and Mallorcan midwife toads, where males carry newly-lad eggs on their back legs until they hatch, are threatened in the wild by disease and habitat loss.

The ZSL EDGE of Existence programme is the only global conservation initiative to focus specifically on threatened species with few close species on the tree of life, which are unusual in the way they look, live and behave.

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