On May 15 and May 20, personnel from the Chattanooga Zoo, U.S. Forest Service and Lee University traveled deep into the woods to release a total of 31 eastern hellbender salamanders in various rivers within the Cherokee National Forest.
This is part of the Hellbender Headstart program, housed on Chattanooga Zoo grounds and maintained largely by zoo keepers, that is working to rehabilitate the rapidly disappearing local hellbender population.
“This is definitely our biggest local conservation program at the Chattanooga Zoo,” said Will Ternes, zoo keeper and Hellbender Headstart manager. “We are actively working to save an important local species from extinction, so it’s both exciting and humbling to participate in this work.”
Eastern hellbender salamanders are native to the Ocoee region and other parts of Eastern Tennessee, but their numbers have declined to the point of endangerment over the past several decades due primarily to habitat destruction. Historically, copper mining, as well as runoff from pesticides and fertilizers, have polluted streams and rivers. As environmental conditions have improved over the years, the Zoo and other partners and collaborators are taking the initiative to replenish hellbender populations.
“Hellbenders play an important role in maintaining a river’s ecology, and their presence and health are indicators of high-quality water – that’s why we call them an indicator species,” said Ternes. “These salamanders breathe through their skin and rely on cool, well-oxygenated flowing water to survive, so an abundance of strong hellbenders usually signifies a thriving ecosystem.”
The Hellbender Headstart Program, which first took shape in October 2021, starts with the collection of young hellbender larvae and eggs in the wild. Next, they are raised for two years in a controlled environment at the Zoo before they are released back into their habitats. Hellbenders naturally have a low survival rate due to predators and other factors, so raising entire groups to maturity is an effective way to jumpstart species repopulation.
At the beginning of May 2024, personnel from the Chattanooga Zoo, U.S. Forest Service and Lee University collected 51 hellbender larvae in the wild. These, in addition to 175 hellbenders hatched at the Zoo in November 2023, will grow up in the Hiwassee Hellbender Research and Education Facility at the Zoo before their reintroduction into the wild.
Also, in addition to the 31 salamanders released earlier this month, the Zoo has completed this process before, placing 30 strong, healthy hellbenders back in their natural habitat in the summer of 2023 for a total of 61 successful releases in program history.
To release the hellbenders, Zoo, Lee University and U.S. Forest Service personnel drove through bumpy forest roads, hiked along rivers and streams and, finally, waded through the water to find suitable places for the aquatic amphibians. Hellbenders often nestle under rocks, branches and fallen trees, so it is important to their survival to find appropriate release points. Similarly, in order to collect larvae, program participants wade into the water and use wetsuits, snorkels and nets to locate and gather the young salamanders.
In addition to the Chattanooga Zoo, key program collaborators and supporters include Tennessee American Water, the Lyndhurst Foundation, TWRA, the Cherokee National Forest of the U.S. Forest Service, Department of Agriculture, and Lee University.
“Thanks to this partnership, we have the opportunity to reestablish populations of hellbenders in the Cherokee National Forest where we still have the best habitat and water quality” said Michael Freake, PhD, professor of biology at Lee University and crucial Hellbender Headstart participant. “Hellbenders have declined so significantly across their range, but in Tennessee we can make really meaningful conservation efforts to ensure the survival of this remarkable giant salamander.”
Those who wish to learn more about eastern hellbenders and see full-grown specimens can visit the Chattanooga Zoo’s Hiwassee Hellbender Research and Education facility on Zoo grounds on Saturdays and Sundays from 3:30 to 4 p.m. each day.
For more information about the Chattanooga Zoo visit chattzoo.org. To support the Zoo’s local and global conservation efforts, visit https://chattanoogazoo-bloom.kindful.com/?campaign=1282410.