|
What you can do
to help
 Amphibians
are being negatively impacted by the commercial trade, be it for pets, research,
food, or other purposes. We can document declining populations and disease
transmission caused by this trade. Instead of buying wild-collected specimens
that might originate from small populations (e.g., Laotian and Iranian newts,
the latest thumbnail dendrobatid), consider other species and sources. To
minimize your impact, purchase only captive-bred animals from reliable and
ethical sources. Look closely at the current palette of captive-bred species
available and try to appreciate their inherent beauty and appeal rather than
maintaining a never-ending search for the latest import. Where appropriate, ask
for documentation for imported specimens and avoid specimens and vendors lacking
such information.
We wish that we could invite you to join us by breeding threatened species in
your home, but that is not practical for several reasons. The main reason is the
risk of introducing new diseases into animals destined for release back into the
wild. The equipment and practices required to absolutely minimize the chance of
accidents are expensive and difficult. Zoos and other organizations have the
resources to achieve this level of biosecurity, whereas most hobbyists do not.
However, that does not mean that you cannot do important things with your
collection to help our cause! First, you can get involved in collaborations that
promote sustainable breeding and management, like the
Amphibian Steward Network set up by the
Tree Walkers organization, which “harnesses the passion, skills, and
resources of private amphibian enthusiasts” to promote activities leading to
sustainable captive population management, reducing collecting pressure on wild
populations, and supporting in situ conservation action for the species
involved.
Second, you
can use your skills and motivation to make a difference in advancing our
husbandry knowledge. Did you know that the zoo community does not even know how
to breed our common backyard toads without using artificial hormone injections?
Maybe you can show us how it is done, and then these same techniques could be
used with numerous threatened species.
Please note though, just because your animals aren’t destined for release does
not mean that they pose no risk to the wild. We must all work together to keep
our animals and their potential pathogens contained. After all, it is the
commercial trade that spread chytrid around the world and got us into this mess
in the first place. So, for starters, do not ever release your pets. This also
applies to native ones you might have collected locally, as they might have
caught exotic parasites from your other pets. Also, be sure to properly
disinfect and dispose of used substrates, water, etc. (anything coming from an
enclosure housing amphibians) rather than dumping them outside. Try to think of
the path between the indoors and the outdoors as a one way street. New
guidelines for quarantine and hygiene are being developed to help ALL herpetoculturists reduce and eliminate the risk of disease spread. Keep an eye
on our web site for more details.
Beyond your collections, try to be a good environmental steward. As our
environmental indicators, amphibians are telling us that we are doing damage to
the health of the planet. Clearly, promoting better environmental stewardship
will benefit our thin-skinned friends but also our own kind. Make an effort to
tread more lightly on the planet by curbing your big carbon vices: big cars, big
families, hot thermostats, and hamburgers – you know the right thing to do. Get
together with friends and collect the garbage from your local wetland. Make a
new wetland in your backyard, even a small pond will help.
Tree Walkers'
Operation Frog Pond provides great
advice. If you build it, they will come. If you are surrounded by development
and they don’t come, rescue eggs and tadpoles from
local swimming pools and use them to seed new populations. And try to manage
your yard without using pesticides, fertilizers and weed killers, all of which
are poisonous to amphibians.
Help raise awareness. Start a letter-writing campaign to politicians, from local
to federal, to raise their awareness and ask them to encourage and finance
conservation activities for amphibians. If you are a student (or you have kids
in school), start a letter-writing campaign in your and other schools
encouraging them to do the same. And speaking of students, go visit them and
share your passion. What biology class would not welcome a visit from a
herpetologist? Take the time to interact with a local class, and be sure to tell
them about our amphibian-related curricular materials for school kids:
http://www.helpafrog.com/toolkit.htm
Amphibians have great public appeal! Raise money to support conservation
projects where many times even a few hundred dollars can go a long way. Pick a
project to support and go for it! Show us your grassroots: organize a bake sale,
can drive, or carwash, sell frog tee shirts or stuffed animals, or organize
recycling drives for cell phones and inkjet and toner cartridges, which can be
sold to recyclers for money. Start a herp group, band together and pool your
resources. As little as $50,000 can save a species from extinction, but just a
few dollars a day can buy vital supplies and support project assistants in range
countries.
Additional
information
A guide to husbandry and biosecurity standards required for the safe and responsible management
of ex situ populations of amphibians
-
These standards are based upon those reported in the proceedings of the
CBSG/WAZA Amphibian Ex
situ Conservation Planning Workshop, El Valle, Panama, 12-15th
February 2006.
Association of Zoos & Aquariums'
Amphibian Husbandry Resource Guide.
Zoos Play a Vital Role in Amphibian Conservation
|
