Episode 05: Rescuing the Golden Mantella with Dr. Devin Edmonds and Nasoavina Christin
In Episode 5 of Amphibian Rescue, we travel to the forests of eastern Madagascar to follow the story of the Golden Mantella (Mantella aurantiaca)—a somewhat accidental rescue, and a reminder of how much it matters to be prepared.
Dr. Devin Edmonds (Amphibian Ark) and Nasoavina Christin (Association Mitsinjo) take us behind the scenes of Madagascar's first amphibian conservation breeding center, in Andasibe. What began as an effort to build insurance colonies of common frog species—mainly to be ready in case the chytrid fungus ever reached Madagascar—became something else entirely when a mining company came knocking, looking for someone to rescue the threatened Golden Mantella before its habitat was cleared.
It turned out the team was (almost) ready for a threat they never saw coming. Where are they now? And what does the future look like for the Golden Mantella?
About our guest:
Dr. Devin Edmonds is Amphibian Ark's Program Director for Africa and South Asia. He worked with Mitsinjo for over six years, where he helped launch the country's first amphibian conservation breeding facility, helped establish monitoring programs for Andasibe's amphibians, and collaborated on action plans for threatened species. Devin has over a decade of experience in amphibian conservation and research.
Nasoavina Christin is the President of Association Mitsinjo, a project manager across several of Mitsinjo's projects, and a seasoned ecotourism guide.
Documents referenced in the episode:
- Bletz, M., Rosa, G., Andreone, F. et al. Widespread presence of the pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in wild amphibian communities in Madagascar. Sci Rep 5, 8633 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/srep08633
Transcript
(coming soon)
About the podcast
Amphibian Rescue is produced and hosted by María Braeuner, with original music by Pablo Bolaños | Biota Specimens.
Episodes are reviewed and fact-checked by the Amphibian Ark team of experts: Luis Carrillo, Devin Edmonds, Renata Ibelli Vaz, Jonathan Wilcken, Cybele Lisboa, Elizabeth Townsend, María José Chang, and Beatriz Velásquez.
Trailer video footage by © Jaime Culebras; additional clips via © Canva.com by Leo Lee, Black Box, Atelopus | Getty Images, Daniel Bahrmann | Pixabay.
Cover image © Jaime Culebras
Other photos and videos used in Episode 5 © Devin Edmonds.
Audio file for Mantella aurantiaca downloaded from AmphibiaWeb with permission of the author and copyright holder: Vences, M., F. Glaw & R. Marquez (2006, editors): The Calls of the Frogs of Madagascar. 3 Audio CDs and booklet, 44 pp. Barcelona, Alosa.
The podcast is made possible thanks to the continued support of Amphibian Ark donors and partners around the world.
Together, we can continue rescuing amphibians in crisis.
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