Meet our 300th species

On Friday, May 2^nd 2025, we banked our 300^th species, courtesy of a sample submission from Wingham Wildlife Park. The park is just one of our 64 conservation partners we work with in the UK to preserve species under threat.

Without further ado, meet our 300^th species, the lemur leaf frog!

Lemur leaf frog (Agalychnis lemur) –Critically Endangered

The lemur leaf frog is a Critically Endangered frog from the rainforests of Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia. Their wild population has declined by more than 80% over the past 10 years, but expert care under the European Ex-situ Programme is helping to ensure that the population in human care remains healthy.

What makes an animal Critically Endangered?

Critically Endangered species are considered to be facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild, so active conservation and restoration efforts are vital.

To qualify as critically endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List, a species must meet one or more of the following criteria:

• A population reduction of 80% or more over the past ten years or three generations
• An extent of occurrence (EOO) of less than 100 km² and/or an area of occupancy (AOO) of less than 10 km²
• Fewer than 250 mature individuals in the wild and at least one of the following:
  • A population decline of 25% over three years or one generation
  • 50 or fewer mature individuals per subpopulation
  • 90-100% of mature individuals existing in one subpopulation
• Fewer than 50 mature individual in the wild
• A 50% or higher chance of becoming extinct in the next ten years or over the next three generations.

At Nature’s SAFE, we now have banked 37 critically endangered species and even some which are categorised as Extinct in the Wild, meaning that they only exist in human care.

For animals under such pressing threat of extinction, conservation efforts like zoo-based breeding programmes and reintroduction are vital. We support these programmes by preserving genetic material from animals to ensure that populations in human care remain viable and healthy.

Take a look at some of the Critically Endangered and Extinct in the Wild species we’ve preserved in our living biobank so far.

Socorro dove (Zenaida graysoni) – Extinct in the Wild

The Socorro dove is an Extinct in the Wild bird from the island of Socorro Island, part of the Revillagigedo Islands in Mexico. Although they are no longer found in the wild, zoo breeding programmes are hoping to restore them to the wild.

Butterfly splitfin (Ameca splendens) – Critically Endangered

The butterfly splitfin is a Critically Endangered fish from the Río Ameca basin in Mexico. Although they were once thought to be extinct, a small population was rediscovered in 1997.

Polynesian tree snail (Partula varia) – Extinct in the Wild

The Polynesian tree snail, or partula snail, is an Extinct in the Wild gastropod from the French Polynesia. Although they are still classified as Extinct in the Wild, captive breeding and reintroductions are underway to restore this species to it’s native habitat.

Père David’s deer (Elaphurus davidianus) – Extinct in the Wild

The Père David’s deer is an Extinct in the Wild mammal from China. They were hunted to extinction in the wild by the early 1900s, but are now being reintroduced into some areas of China.

Explore the species held in our living biobank here.

If you want to support the work we do here at Nature’s SAFE, please donate below or Contact Us to learn more.