Conservationists Save Fire Salamanders from Heat-Related Deaths

Thanks to a courageous intervention, animal lovers in the Mittelsachsen district saved a new generation of fire salamanders from dying in the heat. According to the German Association for the Environment and Nature Conservation (BUND), they provided swift assistance at a tributary of the Zschopau River when the stream threatened to dry up. They carried water in buckets and used it to replenish the increasingly dry sections. In this way, the fire salamander larvae were saved from drying out.

Eight larvae have good chances of survival

“Thanks to their dedication, the animals were able to complete the metamorphosis that is crucial for their survival. During a recent inspection of the stream sections, eight larvae were still spotted that have a good chance of emerging onto land as fully-formed salamanders in the coming weeks,” the report stated. “The fire salamander is a warning sign: If even our last intact spring-fed streams dry up, the system will fail,” said BUND Director Felix Ekardt.

According to BUND, the rain now forecast does not yet mean the all-clear. The soil has been severely depleted by the dry months and years. While individual days of rain might temporarily replenish the topsoil, the deeper aquifers—and thus the spring streams that feed the fire salamanders’ habitats—would react slowly and barely recover from this.

Fire Salamanders Severely Endangered in Saxony

The fire salamander lives in the low mountain ranges of Saxony and prefers cold, oxygen-rich spring streams in deciduous forests as its habitat and for the development of its offspring. These amphibians are considered critically endangered in Saxony. Their populations are in some cases so small that every single animal counts, according to the BUND. The species is representative of intact, small stream habitats, which are becoming increasingly important as sources of cooling and water in times of global warming. 

Fire salamander larvae require about four months in the water to develop and are therefore particularly vulnerable in midsummer. If sections of the stream dry up during this time, they will not survive. The species is an important indicator of healthy ecosystems and clean waters.