It’s time to look again on 2023! Examine our weblog between Christmas and New 12 months’s for quite a lot of tales and reminiscences of 2023 from the workers and volunteers of the Wildlife Heart of Virginia.

Those that have learn my earlier year-end reminiscences shouldn’t be shocked to search out that I’m, as soon as once more, writing about an amphibian. This 12 months, I’m wanting again on a really uncommon, cute, and particular little frog known as an Japanese Spadefoot. 

Spadefoots are very secretive and barely seen, because of their principally fossorial life-style. Their identify comes from the spade-like projections on their hind toes that assist them dig. They spend most of their time underground in burrows, solely surfacing a handful of nights a 12 months when circumstances are proper. As a result of this, they like particular habitats with friable, sandy to loamy soil. So, you possibly can think about my pleasure and shock when Dr. Marit requested me to take a look at our latest “toad” consumption #23-1561, and he was a spadefoot! This was the primary time I had seen one among these humorous little creatures.

This affected person was disturbed by a non-public citizen digging of their backyard right here in Waynesboro this previous June. The great Samaritan introduced the little frog right here to the Wildlife Heart. The spadefoot offered with an open wound on his proper elbow and a extreme hematoma (bruising) on his ventrum (underside). Two days later, I assisted Dr. Olivia with sedating him so she may shut his wound. The wound was in a tough, high-motion spot, and we had so as to add a number of extra sutures when the unique incision opened. Ideally, he would have eco-earth soil in his enclosure so he may dig and bury himself, nonetheless, we needed to hold him on moist, unbleached paper towels for some time to maintain the wound clear. 

Fortunately, after a number of weeks in care, his wound healed and the bruising had resolved. Dr. Marit and I have been excited to launch him collectively at an area park near the place he was discovered. He fortunately hopped off into the underbrush alongside the river. Spadefoots are thought-about a species of biggest conservation want (tier 4a) in Virginia, so this was not solely a win for this lovely little frog and our crew on the Wildlife Heart, but in addition for amphibian conservation!

– Rachel Wolffe, Licensed Veterinary Technician 

Take a look at all of our year-in-review posts!