Habitat 49 Summer 2017

detroitzoo.org • HABITAT | 19 dzoo.org/support  you make a d i f ference New Digs for Japanese Giant Salamanders Currently listed as Near Threatened due to habitat loss and hunting, the Japanese giant salamander is a species of concern that your partnership is helping to conserve. These salamanders present a unique challenge when it comes to designing an optimal habitat, given their nocturnal activity patterns and potential to grow up to 5 feet in length. Through the generosity and commitment of donors, the Rainforest Immersion Gallery in the National Amphibian Conservation Center is under renovation to become a new, larger habitat for Japanese giant salamanders, a dramatic illustration of your Zoo’s commitment to animal welfare. This naturalistic habitat will have a constant, river-like flow that closely mimics the waterways of the salamanders’ native ecosystem, and will give them increased physical and social choices. With your support, this project is expected to be completed later this year. We need your help to complete renovations on the salamanders’ new digs! Please contact Tricia Brosnahan at (248) 336- 5728 or tbrosnahan@dzs. org for information about recognition opportunities or for information about how to support this dramatic illustration of the DZS’s commitment to animal welfare.