United States - August 28, 2025 The Oregon Zoo, in partnership with the National Park Service and High Desert Museum, has launched an emergency conservation effort to protect the Mazama newt from extinction. Nineteen newts were recently brought from Crater Lake to the zoo’s conservation lab, marking only the second time this species has been kept in human care. “The newts are settling in well, which is just what we’d hoped for,” said Julia Low, who oversees the zoo’s newt conservation program. “This is only the second time this species has been in human care, and this will be the first-ever breeding effort, so we’re eager to learn everything we can.” Once a top aquatic predator in Crater Lake, the Mazama newt is now threatened by invasive signal crayfish. Survey data shows a steep decline: in 2008, newts were found at half of survey sites around the lake, but in 2025, they were spotted at only two sites — just 5% of the total area. “If we don’t act now, the Mazama newt could disappear,” said David Hering, an aquatic ecologist at Crater Lake National Park. “We need to keep a population of these newts safe in human care while we work on a long-term solution to the invasive crayfish problem.” Earlier this month, experts from universities, zoos, tribes, and wildlife agencies met at Crater Lake to create a two-year emergency action plan. The strategy focuses on eradicating crayfish and safeguarding a captive population of newts. The zoo’s lab replicates Crater Lake’s unique water and temperature conditions to support the 19 newts. Staff are monitoring them closely, with hopes that future offspring can eventually return to the lake. “We know how important this work is, and we’re up to the challenge,” Low said. “With more newts disappearing every year, now is the time to act to save this species.”