Paid just 85 cents per hour, inmates at a Seattle-area prison provide a relatively inexpensive source of scientific labor. But who knew they could also grow frogs better than some traditional research facilities?
The Seattle Times reports today about the stunning success a pair of inmates have had raising endangered Oregon spotted frogs at the Ceder Creek Corrections Center. Only eight frogs have died out of the 80 eggs the two men started with in early April—a loss rate well below that of two zoos and a wildlife park that are also involved in the research project.
Over the last few months, Harry Greer and Albert Delp have taken careful notes while watching eggs transform into tadpoles and then frogs. They will continue with their responsibilities, which also include feedings and tank water changes, until the planned release of the frogs this fall.
“They have time to address care on a level that is not possible with those other institutions,” Marc P. Hayes, a senior researcher at the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife and leader of the project, told The Seattle Times. “They baby those things literally night and day.”
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