Wednesday, March 12, 2008

THE FROGS


OK, I may reveal my ignorance on this subject, but I heard a show on the CBC (feb 27 2008) about it that affected me so much I had to write about it anyway.


Do you know what's happening to the frogs?


Cuz if you do, there are a lot of people who need to know....


They are dying. By the hundreds and thousands. Like entire species are going extinct. I heard someone say this will be the biggest mass extinction of multiple species since the dinosaurs. And frogs have been around since the dinosaurs. This is fundamentally disturbing...no?


So 2008 has been named "The Year of the Frog"


Well, I think we gotta do a lot more than name the year - but what? The zoos and aquariums of the world are uniting to create breeding places - but this cant cover all the bases...


I know we are all doing our best to go green, and change our lives while still trying to survive, but climate change and habitat destruction are two of the three main causes for the Frogs disappearance. It makes me think...what more can I do? Can I talk to my condo board to make a frog pond? Can I start breeding tadpoles in the basement? I can always visit my local zoo and give them my support...


The third reason that the frogs are dying is a disease that affects their skin. Its like a horrible outbreak movie, only real. They are just dying by the masses. How can we be so complacent when such a huge calamity is going on under our noses!


From the Calgary zoo website:


Frogs are going extinct. So are toads, salamanders, newts, and the intriguingly unusual caecilians. In fact, the World Conservation Union (IUCN) estimates that at least one-third of known amphibian species are threatened with extinction. While the major culprit has historically been habitat loss and degradation, many of the declines and extinctions previously referred to as "enigmatic" are now being attributed to the rapidly dispersing infectious disease chytridiomycosis ("chytrid"). This fungus is causing population and species extinctions at an alarming rate.


So, what ever you can do for the frogs, I’m sure they would appreciate it. I think we'll start a frog theme at home, and a tadpole factory in the basement - I like that.

1 comment:

Cameron D. said...

Yeah ... I've been aware of the plight of frogs for a awhile now too. They're like the canary in the coalmine for the environment because they're so sensitive to changes and pollution (they absorb alot throught their skin.)
A few years ago I started on an idea for an art project involving frog images, particularily the the mutations that are occuring in frogs being born. Kind oa grim and disturbing ... but a powerful message to people too. The idea kinda morphed into my current dinosaur phase and carried themes of extinction. Maybe this is an idea I should pick up on again.