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Happy SAVE THE FROGS DAY!

By on April 28, 2009 in Amphibians, Uncategorized

The 1st Annual Save The Frogs Day has arrived! Be a part of it and help us make the amphibian extinction crisis common knowledge by 2010.

FIRST ANNUAL ‘SAVE THE FROGS DAY’ DECLARED

Events to be held globally April 28th to raise awareness of frog extinctions

Conservation organisation SAVE THE FROGS! has declared April 28th as the first annual Save The Frogs Day. On this day we encourage the appreciation and celebration of amphibians by people from all walks of life so HAPPY SAVE THE FROGS DAY everyone!

The goal is to raise awareness of the rapid disappearance of frog species worldwide. Save The Frogs Day events are planned in nearly a dozen countries, including the United States, Canada, Italy, China, Australia and the U.K.

In recognition of Save The Frogs Day, scientists worldwide will deliver presentations about the amphibian extinction crisis to local schools, zoos and community groups both today and throughout the year. Teachers and students will focus on amphibian conservation, learning about threats to frogs and discussing ways to contribute to conservation efforts. Events for schools also include participating in frog art and frog poetry contests.

Nearly one-third of the world’s 6,400+ amphibian species are threatened with extinction, and at least 150 species have completely disappeared since 1980.

“Habitat destruction is the primary threat to frogs in lowland areas, says Dr. Kerry Kriger, founder of SAVE THE FROGS!, and a deadly skin disease caused by a chytrid fungus is spreading through mountainous regions and driving frog species to extinction within months of its arrival Please see EDGE’s Amphibian Diseases page for more information.

Millions of frogs are shipped worldwide each year for use as pets or food, and few regulations exist to prevent the transport of infected individuals. Sick frogs inevitably escape into the wild and introduce their disease to places where the native frogs have no evolved defenses. To make matters worse, pesticides and global warming weaken frogs’ immune systems, making them more susceptible to infectious diseases.

The amphibian extinction crisis has received very little attention, so Dr. Kriger hopes that Save The Frogs Day will dramatically increase frog awareness on a global scale. This is one of the most significant environmental issues of the 21st century. Unless we act quickly, amphibian species will continue to disappear, resulting in irreversible consequences to Earth’s ecosystems and to humans,” Kerry says.

Please get involved and help spread the word! Remember that only a small proportion of our public is aware that frogs are disappearing, and that amphibian conservation efforts will not be successful until amphibian declines are common knowledge: think of how long it has taken for any political action on global warming to occur! Politicians rarely act until the public demands action. Our goal is to make the amphibian extinction crisis common knowledge by 2010: help make it happen!

Save The Frogs Day is a perfect time for teachers and students to focus on amphibian conservation, learn about amphibian extinctions, and discuss ways that we can all contribute to amphibian conservation efforts.

Please join the SAVE THE FROGS! mailing list so that we can keep you informed of important Save The Frogs Day news and events.

For a full interview with Dr. Kerry Kriger (founder of SAVE THE FROGS!) please click here.