Durban - Thirty percent of frogs in South Africa could become extinct due to habitat destruction and pollution.
Leap Day for Frogs encourages the public to take a leap of action for endangered frogs.
There are 160 frog species in South Africa. The Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) will have a National Awareness Day tomorrow.
Ordinary citizens can play a meaningful role in the protection and conservation of frogs, said Dr Jeanne Tarrant, manager of the EWT’s Threatened Amphibian Programme (EWT-TAP).
The campaign aims to put frogs on South Africa’s conservation map by providing information on what people, businesses and the government can do to reduce their negative impact on habitats and create environments conducive to frogs’ survival.
This will be the second annual awareness day for South African frogs.
It will comprise events, activities and opportunities that focus on threatened species for schoolchildren.
These include KwaZuluNatal’s critically endangered Pickersgill’s Reed Frog, the Eastern Cape’s critically endangered Amathole Toad and the Western Cape’s endangered Leopard Toad.
Tarrant will teach local residents in Mtunzini how they can help the Pickersgill’s to survive.
In Kloof, a family outing – including kid’s activities, an illustrated presentation and a guided walk in Glenholme Nature Reserve – is planned.
The critically endangered Pickersgill’s Reed Frogs are present in only a few areas on the KZN coast, and were a veritable needle in a haystack to find.
They live in a dense jungle of reeds above water, and are small, quiet and fast.
Most of their habitat has disappeared due to wetland drainage, urban and industrial development, and land transformation.
Frog habitats are sources of fresh water and also assist in water filtration and flood reduction.
Increasing levels of pollution in fresh-water systems, disease and changes in climate is destroying frog habitats.
“Frogs play a key role in our indigenous ecosystems because they act as both a predator of insects, some of which are disease-spreading, as well as being prey for a host of other species,” said Tarrant.
She said frogs were important bioindicators due to their sensitive skins and because they inhabit aquatic and terrestrial environments.
Tarrant emphasised that when frogs were around it meant the environment was healthy.
“Frogs could potentially disappear. This is a warning sign that our natural environs are in jeopardy and that urgent conservation action is crucial.”
Breeding of frogs
Tarrant does not recommend that the public breed frogs, but she said it might be fun for kids to collect tadpoles and observe how they underwent metamorphosis to adult frogs.
“It is important to release these frogs back into the natural environment rather than keep them in captivity.
“A number of zoos are now participating in captive-breeding programmes for threatened frog species, with the ultimate aim of reintroducing them back into the wild.”
The Pickersgill’s is the first threatened species for which a captive-breeding programme is being undertaken.
Johannesburg Zoo initiated the programme in 2012, and most recently uShaka SeaWorld has come on board with the project, and have begun to actively keep and breed the species.
What can you do to help?
l Build a frog pond or clean a wetland near your home or school.
l Learn about the metamorphosis of tadpoles, use indigenous plants and avoid the use of harmful chemicals or pesticides in the garden.
l Make sure your company is not contributing to the destruction of frog habitats.
Tarrant said a number of schools were taking part by having a civvies’ day, selling “frog” chocolates, and having leapfrog, frog art and other competitions.
Businesses and homes are urged to organise awareness events, with assistance and information from www.leapdayforfrogs.org.za. - Daily News
Frog facts
l Frogs absorb water through their skins, so they don’t need to drink
l Frogs primarily use their skins for absorbing oxygen, even though they have lungs.
l Frogs can each lay as many as 25 000 eggs.
l The eyes and nose of a frog are on top of its head, so that it can breathe and see when most of its body is under the water.
l Frogs are usually insectivores, which means they eat insects. Some larger frogs eat small mice, birds and sometimes smaller frogs. Only one type of frog on Earth eats fruit.
l The smallest frogs in the world are no bigger than your thumb nail.
l Frogs cannot live in the sea or in salt water.
l Frogs are slimy because their bodies release mucus so that their skins can retain moisture, which the frogs need to breathe so they stay hydrated.
l Frogs have long, sticky tongues attached to the front of their mouths. They use them to eat bugs and flying insects.
l A group of frogs is called an army.
l Frogs come in just about every colour and size you can imagine.
l Some frogs have the ability to change colour to blend in with their surroundings and escape detection by predators.
l Frogs are amphibians, meaning they have two lives. Frogs begin their lives in the water as eggs and then become tadpoles. When they are fully developed, they live on land.