Gosline's Allotoca is a small, unassuming fish that is endemic to the Mexican highlands in the state of Jalisco, where it was previously found only in the Rio Ameca. However, it has been extinct there since 2004.
The causes of its extinction were varied. Water pollution, water abstraction for field irrigation and the introduction of invasive species ultimately led to its disappearance from the wild. A few fish of this species were still found in the possession of a single private keeper in France, and Hellabrunn Zoo is now also successfully breeding these rare Gosline's Allotoca.
In the municipality of Teuchitlan, the parish, farmers and school pupils’ associations have joined forces to form the ‘Guardianes del Río’, the protectors of the river. Together with the Goodeid Working Group – an international organisation dedicated to the conservation of Gosline's Allotocas – and the zoo, measures are being taken to restore the river system, with the aim of bringing Gosline's Allotoca back to Mexico and reintroducing it into its original habitat.
To this end, initiatives include, for example, launching environmental education programmes, removing rubbish and invasive aquatic plants from water bodies, reforesting cleared slopes, and constructing water retention dams on dry slopes to retain water in the long term for the springs located in the valley. Whilst work is underway in Mexico to restore the habitat, Hellabrunn Zoo is breeding Gosline's Allotocas and planning their transport back to Mexico.
