It’s rare enough we get any good news about the environment these days—so when it does happen, it’s well worth celebrating even if the victory is small. That’s why I was so excited to see the news yesterday that “Romeo,” the Sehuencas Water Frog previously feared to be the last of his kind, now has a shot at mating and saving his species from extinction.
Frogs and toads around the world have declined precipitously over the last several years due to a variety of factors, including climate change, habitat destruction, and a lethal skin-devouring fungus that human activities have inadvertently spread around the globe. Some species have already disappeared forever, while others hover on the brink of extinction. The Sehuencas Water Frog is one of these: up until extremely recently there was only one known individual left, a male being cared for in captivity be scientists who hoped to find a female frog he could mate with.
Yesterday the Global Wildlife Conservation Society announced their team of researchers, headed by Dr. Teresa Camacho Badani of the Museo de Historia Natural Alcide d’Orbigny in Bolivia, discovered five wild Sehuencas Water Frogs on an expedition to a remote cloud forest. Due to threats facing the frogs in the wild, the five have been taken into captivity where they are receiving lavish attention to ensure all their needs are met. The newly rescued frogs—three males and two females—will join Romeo in forming a captive breeding program that could save the species and ensure the eventual establishment of healthy wild populations.
One of the newfound frogs is a female of the right age to mate with Romeo, and is already being referred to as “Juliette.” Read more about the expedition that found Juliette and her amphibious comrades here.