1-4 Boonshof Museum of Discovery rescues nearly 100 salamanders from an oil spill

The Boonshoft Museum of Discovery includes a small, AZA accredited Discovery Zoo.  Last summer their Live Animals staff assisted Great Parks of Hamilton County and the Ohio EPA with a salamander rescue after an oil spill from the Mid-Valley Pipeline in the Oak Glen Nature Preserve (March 2014).  The staff assisted with collecting animals from the site and cared for nearly 100 streamside salamanders for months in their quarantine area, until most of them could be released back into the local habitat after cleanup. 

 

It was determined that two of the streamside salamanders should not be released, and they are still living at the Museum and are used for conservation/local wildlife education purposes.  The partnership also resulted in some additional Earth Day programming with the Ohio EPA, so guests were able to learn more the spill and cleanup, as well as about the animals themselves. www.ConservationCelebrations.com