2008 Annual Report - Denver Zoo

ight blue poison dart froganimals & peopleyear of the frogImagine a summer night with nothing but silence … no croaking toads or chirping frogs. The reality of thathappening is very possible and could happen very soon. Our favorite friend, the frog, is going extinct. So are at leastone third of all known amphibian species including frogs, toads, newts, salamanders and caecilians.Holding that thought close to our hearts, Denver Zoo in 2008, collaborated withzoos, aquariums and other conservation organizations around the world in a globaleffort to raise awareness about a disastrous amphibian extinction crisis and to laythe groundwork for expanding existing and initiating new amphibian conservationefforts. The initiative was called Year of the Frog.What an inspiring, unifying and gratifying experience it was for everyone atthe zoo. Those of us who are not herpetologists or are not experienced inunderstanding the ways of the amphibian, first had to learn about the critters, thecauses of the crisis and how we can initiate change. We had many discussions,met many of the amphibians that we care for at Denver Zoo and learned aboutconservation efforts.While the major cause of the amphibian die-off has historically been habitatloss and degradation (like so many of the species we are trying to save), agreat deal of the declines and extinctions are now being attributed to a rapidlyspreading infectious disease commonly known as chytrid fungus. This, as of yet,unstoppable fungus is wiping out entire species of amphibians in a matter ofmonths and is sweeping the planet.Partnerships are the answer to saving amphibians. Many zoos and aquariumsare breeding and housing species in the hopes of introducing (or reintroducing)them to the wild once a solution has been found to defeat chytrid fungus. Theseanimals are the world’s “insurance populations,” our last hope to ensure futuregenerations can appreciate frogs and toads and salamanders and caecilians.Denver Zoo is home to many of these threatened species including thePanamanian golden frog which is believed to be extinct in the wild.Year of the Frog, spearheaded by powerful conservation organizations aroundthe world including the World Conservation Union (IUCN), World Association ofZoos and Aquariums (WAZA), Amphibian ARK and the Association of Zoos andAquariums (AZA) insured that people learned of the amphibian plight every day ofthe year.18