AKRON, Ohio — One of the world's oldest mountain chicken frogs has passed away in Northeast Ohio.
On Thursday, the Akron Zoo announced that Dominic, the zoo's mountain chicken frog, died on Sunday. Dominic was two months away from turning 19 years old -- nearly seven years older than the average life expectancy of his species.
According to the zoo, Dominic’s health had been slowly declining due to his age recently, as he had lost his vision due to cataracts and his care team had been assisting him with eating over the last several months. As his condition worsened over the past few weeks, the difficult decision was made to humanely euthanize him.
Dominic was born at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium on June 12, 2004. He moved to the Akron Zoo in 2005 as the zoo opened the Komodo Kingdom Education Building, where he spent the remainder of his life.
“Dominic’s age was a true testament to the mission here at the Akron Zoo,” Doug Piekarz, president & CEO at the Akron Zoo, said in a statement. “We provide exceptional care for every animal – big or small, furry or scaly – and those animals are able to connect our guests to wildlife and inspire lifelong learning. Dominic was no exception. Guests, adults and children alike, loved to see the ‘really big frog’ who was always there to greet them as they entered Komodo Kingdom.”
Native to the Caribbean Islands of Dominica and Montserrat, mountain chicken frogs are classified as critically endangered by the IUCN Red List. Fewer than 150 members of the species are estimated to remain in their native habitat due to a fungal disease, habitat loss and hunting.
Mountain chicken frogs are one of the largest in the world, with adults having the ability to grow to be more than eight inches long and weigh up to two pounds.