It ain’t easy being green golden.
February 4th, 2007 by Progressive Wednesday
Let me start by saying that I’m not a huge fan of zoos. When I go I’m always a bit saddened by the sight of those magnificent elephants in their tiny, if well-maintained pens. Or that beautiful but endangered polar bear swimming an endless lemniscate in a tiny pool, his fur green from the chlorine. But no one can deny that they also do a world of good, from rehabilitating sick animals to educating children to research and conservation. In that spirit, zoologists and biologists from zoos in Denver, Atlanta, Baltimore, Buffalo and other organizations in the United States and Panama have combined efforts in an attempt to save one of the most exotic amphibians on the planet, with Project Golden Frog.
You’ve heard it all before, deforestation and rock mining for urban development, collection of this exotic species, changes in their natural habitat due to global warming climate destruction. But there is a new threat to the national symbol of Panama, as well as every other species of amphibian in the region.
A chytridiomycete fungus, called Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (notoriously called, “the chytrid” - pronounced ‘kitchrid’), recently has been found in three localities in western Panama. This fungal pathogen attacks keratin in the dermal tissue of amphibians. It is believed by many researchers that this pathogenic fungus disables the frog from being able to respire and osmoregulate, eventually killing the frog. The disease is known as chytridiomycosis.
Enter Project Golden Frog. This group of scientists has collected healthy animals and set up habitats at the zoos for breeding and have already produced tadpoles. While the goals of the project include education, financial support and field studies, certainly the captive propagation is the most important. The plan is simple: produce as many captive specimens as possible and reintroduce them into the wild once the danger that the fungus presents has passed. Only time will tell if they will be successful, but we can help. To make a contribution to the effort click here. Together we can help make this beautiful species one of the greatest conservation success stories. And that’s progress.
Photo courtesy of projectgoldenfrog.org.
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