Shropshire experts successfully breed threatened species of poison frog

Luckily, for experts at a Shropshire college, they lose their toxicity once they are taken into captivity.

Blue poison dart frogs are usually found in the tropical forests of Costa Rica or in Brazil – but now they can be found in a tank at Walford and North Shropshire College.

After months of trying, animal technicians at the college have successfully bred the threatened species of frog.

A student at the Walford campus, near Baschurch, gave the frogs to the college when he decided to join the Army and could no longer look after them.

Since then technician Simon Metcalfe has led a project to turn eggs into tadpoles – and after many failed attempts, a frog has climbed out of their pond.

He said: "Although eggs were laid on several occasions the student had been unsuccessful in getting the eggs to progress to tadpoles. They had always gone mouldy and not formed.

"After researching environmental conditions required and their breeding behaviour, a few adjustments were made and we waited for the first clutch of eggs to be laid.

"Now all our research and effort has paid off and our first froglet was moved out of water and on to dry land, its metamorphosis now complete."

Mr Metcalfe said the whole process of egg to froglet took about 12 weeks. The frog is no longer toxic because of changes to the diet once in captivity.

The species grows to about 2.5cm long and is classed as threatened in the wild because of the destruction of their habitat.