Saint Louis Zoo sees 'banner year' for breeding program as 1,300-plus hellbenders hatch

Staff members at the Saint Louis Zoo are hustling as they care for the 1,300-plus hellbenders that hatched in the last few months of the year.

From managing diverse diets to aquatic care, it takes about four full-time staff members to care for the unique amphibians, along with the already established adult generations, which brings the total number close to 3,000.

Hellbenders are the largest aquatic salamanders in North America. Missouri is the only state that has both subspecies — the Ozark hellbender and the eastern hellbender. Both are listed as endangered in Missouri, and the Ozark hellbender also is federally endangered.

The number of hellbenders has been in a sharp decline, and conservationists are working to restore and re-introduce the endangered amphibians back into the water systems.

The Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Institute Ron Goellner Center for Hellbender Conservation is a Saint Louis Zoo-based effort aimed at conserving native hellbender populations in Missouri.

The zoo-bred hatchlings are the second generation of several males that were part of the world's first successful zoo-bred hatch a decade ago at the Saint Louis Zoo.

Let's break down the numbers of the newly hatched.

From October to December, 750 Saint Louis Zoo-bred Ozark hellbenders hatched at the Charles H. Hoessle Herpetarium. Missouri Department of Conservation brought eggs to the zoo from Missouri river systems which resulted in 583 Ozark and eastern hellbenders hatching. A total of 1,333 newly hatched baby hellbenders are now being cared for by experienced and dedicated herpetology keepers in a private area at the Herpetarium.

Lauren Augustine, Curator of Herpetology at the Zoo and Director of the Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Institute Ron Goellner Center for Hellbender Conservation, is reveling in the success.

"It's been a banner year, and it just goes to show that being dedicated and persistent with this program is really paying off," Augustine told the News-Leader in a phone interview Tuesday.

The process of the program is rather cyclical, Augustine described. Eggs are either collected from the zoo or from river systems. Then, the eggs are placed on special trays until they hatch. Once hatched, the hellbenders are moved into nurseries where they are closely monitored and fed until it is time to potentially release them back into river systems.

Adult hellbenders are fed crayfish, live fish and more; whereas the babies get a variety, including ghost shrimp, black worms and earthworms.

Come summer, Augustine said the zoo and conservation officials from MDC and U.S. Fish and Wildlife will work to release some of the brood into nature. Each will be tagged, and the survival rate is between 49 and 70 percent.

More than 800 Ozark and eastern hellbenders raised from eggs at the zoo were released into their native Missouri rivers in summer 2021 by MDC, according to the zoo. Since 2008, 9,476 Saint Louis Zoo-raised endangered hellbenders have been reintroduced to the wild in Missouri.

"I like to say that the hellbender is the flagship species for our river ecosystems," Augustine said.

The amphibians and their health are a great indicator to just how well a water system is faring. With their sensitive skin, the hellbenders are quick to respond to changes such as habitat disturbances or degradation.

"They're a species that gives us an indication that the habitat might be in trouble and that other species are likely to follow in terms of population declines," Augustine said. "Hellbenders are really important for water health. And, obviously, as humans we depend on water as well."

Augustine reminded Missourians that their actions can affect waterways, thus impacting the "snot otters" and other creatures.

"Pollution is threatening ecosystems worldwide, so it's always important to keep in mind water conservation," Augustine said.

Actions like not leaving the sink running while you're brushing your teeth, packing in and out your trash while on Missouri rivers and lakes and more are crucial. Another thing to remember is not to stack rocks just willy-nilly.

"These are their homes," Augustine said. "They make their homes under these rocks, and so moving and altering the rocks in the bottom of these rivers can also impact hellbenders."

To learn more about the Saint Louis Zoo and their programs, visit https://www.stlzoo.org/

Sara Karnes is an Outdoors Reporter with the Springfield News-Leader. Follow along with her adventures on Twitter and Instagram @Sara_Karnes. Got a story to tell? Email her at skarnes@springfi.gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Saint Louis Zoo nearing 3,000 hellbenders after 1,300 hatch in 2021