ODN Follow-up

A large number of salamanders found dead in a swimming pool south of Oliver appear to be endangered tiger salamanders, according to a biologist with the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations.

Ecosystems biologist Orville Dyer said they are looking into how the 22 salamanders ended up in the pool, but it’s likely the cause of death was getting caught and drowning in the pool skimmer.

“Why they ended up in the pool is a mystery that we may never be able to solve,” he said. “Although it is likely they just fell in and couldn’t get out. We use pitfall traps to capture them sometimes, and they just walk over the edge and fall in.”

He added that it is still unusual for this many salamanders to die in in the same place in apparently the same manner.

But July 17, did coincide with the area’s first rain in awhile and it’s possible the salamanders made a mass movement in relation to the rain event, perhaps from a nearby lake or simply within the terrestrial habitat.

“They do migrate from the hillsides to nearby lakes during the breeding season and return from the lake in the fall,” he said. “But this would not explain the timing of this particular event.

Residents in the area have concerns about dropping water levels in Deadman Lake. However, there’s no evidence of any linkage between that issue and these dead salamanders.”

Special from Castanet and Deborah Pfeiffer – Penticton