CONSERVATIONISTS at Chester Zoo are part of a collaboration aiming to save one of the world's rarest amphibians from extinction.

They have joined forces with the Michoacana University of Mexico, a Mexican government fisheries centre and a group of Mexican nuns to develop a breeding programme for the Lake Pátzcuaro salamander and ensure the continued survival of the critically endangered species.

It is the first time a breeding network has been established for the Mexican salamanders, or 'achoques' as they are locally known, and researchers hope to quickly establish a genetically viable population.

The salamanders once thrived in Lake Pátzcuaro, Mexico's third largest lake, but are now listed as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The species is of great importance to the locals who have lived alongside it for hundreds of years but the latest research has led to fears that fewer than 100 individuals may remain.

However, the new breeding plan is now aiming to boost numbers and, in time, re-energise the wild population.

Chester Zoo is home to six breeding pairs of the salamander, with a further 30 adults at the Michoacana University of Mexico and at a Mexican government fisheries centre, both located in the city of Morelia in south-west Mexico.

Dr Gerardo Garcia, the zoo's curator of Lower Vertebrates and Invertebrates, said: "The Lake Pátzcuaro salamander is a very unusual species that is now perilously close to the edge of existence and requires immediate action if we are to establish more numbers and save them."

Conservationists have already begun projects to determine the status of the salamander population remaining in the lake, assess water quality, the availability of prey items, monitor potential health issues and encourage communities surrounding the lake to join the efforts to bring back the species.

Professor Omar Dominguez, from Michoacana University of Mexico, added: "This wonderful partnership between international zoos, ourselves and local communities in Mexico is giving the salamanders new hope in its fight for survival.

"Local people have joined the breeding network; local fishermen are part of the research efforts on the lake; villagers are engaging in conversation about the importance of thriving aquatic wildlife – and now the international conservation community is joining the bid to save this magnificent species."

Lake Pátzcuaro salamander facts:

  • Scientific name: Ambystoma dumerilii
  • The surviving wild population is very small.
  • Although populations are difficult to assess, recent surveys covering almost all of its known distribution range have usually captured fewer than 20 individuals
  • The animals are harvested for medicinal purposes (locals have a belief that they are a cure for respiratory problems and anaemia), as well as food
  • The species does not metamorphose and lives permanently in water
  • Up to 20 tonnes of the 'achoques', by which they are known locally, were taken from the lake in as recently as the 1980s. But by the early 1990s, hardly any remained