by David Hosansky

About the author: David Hosansky is a freelance writer specializing in environmental topics. He previously worked as a senior writer for CQ Weekly and as a reporter for the Florida Times Union.

Zoo biologist Edward J. Maruska can remember exploring the rain forests of Costa Rica in the late 1970s, when thousands of shimmering golden toads gathered in ponds of the mist-shrouded Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve to breed.

But all the toads had vanished by the 1980s. Scientists believe that the spectacular toads, easily recognized by the males’ bright orange color, fell victim to disease, changing climate patterns or pollution.

“They were so unique,” recalls Maruska, executive director of the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. “Then they were gone.”

Last sighted by scientists in 1989, the golden toad...