Beneath the surface of Ohio and West Virginia streams, one of North America’s most ancient and elusive animals is getting a second chance - and it is happening through one of the largest hellbender conservation collaborations in the region’s history.

The Eastern hellbender, North America’s largest amphibian, has experienced dramatic population declines across Ohio and West Virginia over the last three decades. In response, an extraordinary partnership of zoos, universities, conservation organizations, and wildlife agencies came together with one shared mission: bring this species back from the brink.

At the center of that effort is the Ohio Hellbender Partnership, which includes The Wilds, Columbus Zoo, The Ohio State University, other Ohio zoos, and numerous academic and government partners working together to restore wild hellbender populations across the region.

At both The Wilds and the Columbus Zoo, teams carefully rear young hellbenders from eggs collected within their native range. Inside specialized conservation labs, the eggs are monitored until hatching, then hand-raised through their most vulnerable life stages before being tagged and released back into protected stream habitats where they can help rebuild wild populations.

This work is already making waves far beyond the streambanks.

Stories about Our Work

Want to dive deeper into the world of hellbenders? Explore more stories about their conservation, care, and comeback journey:

What is a Hellbender? Hellbenders and Mud Puppies: They're Not the Same! Raising Hellbenders in Ohio Waters

Accomplishments

The Wilds continues caring for future generations of hellbenders in a customized conservation facility until they are mature enough for release. For Ohio conservation, this is proof that long-term partnerships, science, and persistence can help rewrite the future for a species that has quietly called Appalachian streams home for millions of years.

• 2025: The Columbus Zoo and The Wilds released 116 endangered eastern hellbenders into waterways in Ohio and West Virginia.
• 2024: The Wilds released 341 hellbenders back into Ohio and West Virginia streams.
• 2023: Conservation teams documented reproduction in the wild by previously head-started and released hellbenders, marking a major milestone for the future of the species.
• Since 2012: Thousands of hellbenders raised by The Wilds and the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium have been released into native habitats across Ohio.

“Returning robust, healthy juvenile eastern hellbenders to pristine streams is only possible because of our partners and the communities committed to clean water,” said Genelle Uhrig, Director of Ecology at The Wilds. We'd like to thank our conservation partners, including the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Greater Cincinnati Herpetological Society, Captina Conservancy, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, and the Ohio Hellbender Partnership.