In the pristine tropical forests of the world, the waters still run clear and clean, and the jungle is, as ever, a riot of green, grasping life. The little victims? Their pores clog, and they die of a heart attack. It is like a cheesy horror movie, but real. The villain is a rather extraordinary fungus, an amphibian version of a case of athlete’s foot from hell, with an impossible name, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, which scientists call “Bd,” a virulent, lethal fungus that has spread around the globe. Central American countries such as Panama are suffering a catastrophic decline. In what may be the greatest disease-driven loss of biodiversity in recorded history, hundreds of frog species around the world are facing extinction.įar from being obscure, many of the frogs threatened at the checkout counter are Class A Number One amphibians - the kinds of jewel-colored frogs that adorn postage stamps and Smithsonian calendars and that biologists consider to be keystone species in their environments, no less important than otters or coral or bees, in their way.įrogs in the western United States are threatened, and Australia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean have been especially hard hit. Because the thing that is killing the frogs is still out there. You can learn more about Save The Frogs Day at is much harder than you might think. Eighty million pounds of Atrazine are used in America each year. Atrazine is one of the most commonly detected pesticides in American groundwater, tapwater and rainfall, and there is abundant scientific evidence documenting its negative impacts on an array of wildlife. “We aim to get Atrazine federally banned by the 3 rd Annual Save The Frogs Day”. Kriger says SAVE THE FROGS will be organizing an International Day of Pesticide Action, planned for October 24 th. In the evening he will give a lecture on The Wild World of Frogs and lead a frog walk through the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Reserve. Kriger will give an interview on Martha Stewart Radio and then he will present a free online webinar on amphibian conservation. Kriger for his morning talk on frogs at an elementary school. Save The Frogs Day has been legally recognized by Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia Mayor Gregor Robertson of Vancouver, British Columbia and Mayor Mike Rotkin of Santa Cruz, California. SAVE THE FROGS recently succeeded in getting San Francisco’s Restaurant Gary Danko to remove wild-caught Pig Frogs from their menu. Over 100 million frogs are taken out of the wild for food each year. The restaurant chain refuses to remove the frog legs from their menus. The first protests in defense of frog populations in the planet’s history will take place at restaurants in VA, MD and TX. The Miss Earth South Africa ladies will join in the action by teaching children in the villages about frogs. Save The Frogs Day events include presentations by scientists worldwide a moonlit frog walk in Seattle’s Discovery Park a Frog Leap-a-Thon in Toronto, and a frog art contest in Brazil. ![]() Save The Frogs Day is all about people stepping up, getting involved, and taking action in their own community, and that’s exactly what is happening”, says Dr. ![]() “This is one of the most significant environmental issues of the 21 st century. Kriger hopes that Save The Frogs Day will dramatically increase frog awareness on a global scale. There are 18,000 registered pesticides in the United States.ĭr. To make matters worse, pollution and pesticides are weakening frogs’ immune defenses and in some cases even turning male frogs into females. Kerry Kriger, Founder & Executive Director of SAVE THE FROGS. “Habitat destruction and an infectious disease called chytridiomycosis are decimating frog populations worldwide” says Dr. ![]() Up to 200 species have already completely disappeared in recent years. The events are being coordinated by SAVE THE FROGS!, America’s first and only public charity dedicated to amphibian conservation.Īmphibian populations worldwide have been declining at unprecedented rates, and nearly one-third of the world’s amphibian species are threatened with extinction. Over 80 Save The Frogs Day events are being held in 20 countries, including the United States, Canada, Ireland, Madagascar, India, South Africa, and Australia. The 2 nd Annual Save The Frogs Day, taking place today, is the largest day of amphibian education and conservation action in the planet’s history. Amphibians are rapidly disappearing around the planet, and a worldwide effort is underway today to save them.
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