[ Rustling ] -In the wild, animals use bright colors as a warning sign to potential predators.

-In most cases, colors like these mean "back off, I'm poisonous."

And in this case, it's 100% accurate.

You're looking at a Corroboree frog.

This species secretes a toxic substance from its skin which would make it very unappetizing as a snack.

Quite a handy defense mechanism to have, though.

But unfortunately for the Corroboree frog, this species is in trouble.

So Corroboree frogs are critically endangered.

They're actually one of Australia's most critically endangered species.

-They are native to the Snowy Mountain ranges of New South Wales, where much of the habitat is protected by national parks, and they're poisonous to eat.

So what is the cause of their decline?

Well, they suffer from a disease known as chytrid fungus, which is unfortunately affecting amphibians worldwide.

-Basically what happens is the fungus will cover the skin where there's any keratin.

Now, considering that frogs will breathe through their skin, it makes it very difficult for them to then breathe.

-It also can affect their nervous system as well.

-So the keepers at Taronga Zoo are doing everything they can to help these beautiful Aussie natives out by running a very successful breeding program.

-Taronga is heavily involved in breeding and releasing Corroboree frogs back into the wild.

As part of the National Recovery Program, we have released hundreds of frogs and thousands of eggs as well back into Mount Kosciuszko.

-It's not easy to successfully breed that many frogs.

It takes a lot of dedication and hard work from the keepers every day.

They know exactly which frog is which by photographing them and keeping records.

And each frog is sorted into a group based on which stage it's at in its life cycle.

The keepers also need to keep the room at the correct temperature to make sure the frogs are comfortable, and males and females are kept separate until it's time for breeding.

It's a big job, but it's worth it.

-They are one of the most iconic Australian species that we do have here.

-They play a very important part of the alpine ecosystem.

Even as teeny, tiny little tadpoles, they actually eat all of the algae in all the ponds, which means it's crystal clear for all of the other animals and plant life there too.

-So it's thanks to breeding programs like this one that Corroboree frogs are given a fighting chance in the wild.