198 and Counting: Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary Releases 22 More Endangered Kroombit Tinkerfrogs

Last month, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary’s Conservation Team took the long road to Kroombit Tops National Park for one of the most important jobs on the conservation calendar: releasing another 22 critically endangered Kroombit tinkerfrogs bred and reared in our Froglab.

This milestone release brings the total number of Froglab-bred tinkerfrogs returned to the wild to 198, marking Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary’s seventh successful release event in an ongoing mission to save this tiny, elusive frog from extinction.

A Cold Camp at 900 Metres

Kroombit Tops National Park sits 900 metres above sea level, and this trip brought some genuinely chilly conditions, with overnight temperatures dropping to just 5°C. Despite the cold, the team pushed on, joined by Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service staff, contractors, volunteers, and – perhaps the stars of the trip – conservation detector dog handlers with Springer Spaniels Ash and Poa.

Detector Dogs Sniff Out Hope for Wild Tinkerfrog Populations

Alongside the release of 22 healthy frogs, Ash and Poa put their specialised training to the test, successfully indicating the locations of recently released tinkerfrogs. The dogs were then deployed to additional sites, where they detected the scent of wild tinkerfrogs in areas where the species was previously presumed extinct.

While no frogs were physically sighted during this trip – most likely due to the cold weather driving them into hiding – the dogs’ scent detections offer real hope. It suggests remnant wild populations of the Kroombit tinkerfrog may still be surviving in pockets that call recorders and researcher surveys simply aren’t picking up.

Muddy Work in the Rainforest: Collecting Silt for Froglab Tadpoles

Fieldwork isn’t just about releases. Our team also spent hours in the rainforest on the Kroombit Tops plateau collecting and sieving fine silt from a creek bed – a genuinely muddy task. That silt has since made the journey back to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, where it’s being dried and heat-treated before becoming a key part of the diet for tadpoles being raised in the Froglab.

Servicing Equipment and Building a Pig Exclusion Fence

As with every Kroombit Tops visit, the team carried out essential servicing of the audio monitoring equipment installed at frog habitat sites – a vital tool for tracking tinkerfrog calls and population activity over time.

The team also began construction of a pig exclusion fence around a second known tinkerfrog habitat, located beneath the National Park’s towering 150-metre escarpment. Feral pigs pose a serious threat to tinkerfrog habitat, and this fence will play a critical role in protecting the species from further damage.

Given the rugged, steep terrain of the site, simply transporting fencing equipment and materials to the location proved to be one of the biggest challenges of the trip – but one well worth tackling for the long-term protection of this endangered species.

Protecting the Kroombit Tinkerfrog, One Release at a Time

With 198 tinkerfrogs now released back into their natural habitat, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary’s Conservation Team continues to lead vital breeding and rewilding efforts for one of Australia’s most threatened amphibians. From breeding in the Froglab to boots-on-the-ground fieldwork in remote national parks, every trip to Kroombit Tops brings this critically endangered species one step closer to a sustainable future in the wild.