Over 100 hellbenders released into Ohio waterways as part of conservation effort

(WKBN) -- Over 100 endangered giant salamanders were released into protected Ohio waterways this year as part of conservation efforts.

The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and The Wilds released a total of 116 juvenile eastern hellbenders into Ohio waterways as part of a scientific effort to recover the species. Hellbenders play a vital role in stream ecosystems by feeding on crayfish and other aquatic invertebrates and by serving as indicators of water quality.

Decades of habitat loss, pollution and sedimentation have driven dramatic declines in Ohio and neighboring states, putting the species at risk, but a statewide recovery effort is working to turn that around.

“This is quiet work that adds up,” said Greg Lipps, conservation biologist at Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. “One stream, one release