A recent report has said that a frog that doesn't croak is among the species being helped fight extinction by zoos. According to a list of British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA), conservation efforts by zoos in the UK and Ireland have safeguarded several species.

BIAZA's list of reptile and amphibian species benefitting from conservation efforts by zoos have included golden mantilla, member of the Madagascan genus Mantella, and axolotl, a neotenic salamander, closely related to the tiger salamander.

The list has also included mountain chicken, a species of frog that is native to the Caribbean islands, and the Komodo dragon, a large species of lizard that was first recorded in 1910. Apart from these, ploughshare tortoise and the sand lizard have been considered by BIAZA as the species fighting off extinction because of zoos.

BIAZA's field programmes committee member, Dr. Andrew Marshall, said zoos are part of a global conservation community.

He said that previous year's report of top 10 mammals most reliant on zoos had shown that zoos are playing a very vital role in safeguarding the wildlife. This year, they have published the report of 10 reptiles and amphibians that zoos are working to save from extinction.

Nick Baker, TV presenter and naturalist, said, "Zoos and aquariums have a very important role in this whole thing - at the scariest level they are the Ark. They are where the insurance populations of these animals can be looked after and understood and studied".

Nick said that BIAZA is working as an interface between public and wildlife. He said zoos offer people chances to see the animals that might not have an instant appeal.