Over 100 hellbenders released into Ohio waterways as part of conservation effort

(WKBN) — Over 100 endangered giant salamanders were released into protected Ohio waterways this year as part of conservation efforts.

The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and The Wilds released a total of 116 juvenile eastern hellbenders into Ohio waterways as part of a scientific effort to recover the species. Hellbenders play a vital role in stream ecosystems by feeding on crayfish and other aquatic invertebrates and by serving as indicators of water quality. 

Decades of habitat loss, pollution and sedimentation have driven dramatic declines in Ohio and neighboring states, putting the species at risk, but a statewide recovery effort is working to turn that around.

“This is quiet work that adds up,” said Greg Lipps, conservation biologist at Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. “One stream, one release, one more sign that clean water and wildlife can thrive together in our community. We raise these animals for years and then let them slip back under the rocks that shelter them. It takes patience, careful science and many hands, and we are grateful to our partners and neighbors who care for these waters with us.”

For more than a decade, teams at the Columbus Zoo and The Wilds have reared young hellbenders from eggs collected within the species’ native range. The animals are monitored in a lab until hatching, hand-reared until large enough to improve post‑release survival and tagged for monitoring before release.

Over 2,000 hellbenders have been released in Ohio since 2012 by the Columbus Zoo and The Wilds, with over 350 hellbenders released last year alone.

In 2023, researchers also documented wild reproduction by previously released hellbenders for the first time.

“At The Wilds, we see firsthand how collaboration and long-term care translate into significant gains for imperiled species like the hellbender,” said Genelle Uhrig, director of ecology at The Wilds. “Returning robust, healthy juveniles to pristine streams is only possible because of our partners and the communities committed to clean water. We’re encouraged by signs of natural reproduction and remain focused on scaling this effort in the years ahead.”

With support from partners, teams also installed 30 hellbender huts that add to the over 100 that are already in place within Ohio. These huts give researchers safe access to animals and eggs otherwise often unreachable beneath large rocks, and enable monitoring in turbid water.