Volunteer frog detectives help to track frightful fungus
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Volunteer frog detectives help to track frightful fungus

14 February 2008

To help save England’s frogs, toads and newts, amateur amphibian aficionados from across the country are being trained to track a potentially deadly disease that could have a devastating effect on amphibians.

A pioneering project launched by Natural England, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and the Herpetological Conservation Trust enlisted scores of volunteers to help assess the potential impact of this disease.

Around 170 keen volunteers were trained in Coventry and more will follow in the coming months. The project galvanises action on this newly discovered fungal disease, which has already been found in a few ponds in Cumbria and Kent.

“After hearing about the population crashes in Australia, finding the fungus here was obviously grim news,” said Jim Foster, amphibian specialist at Natural England.

“But people should not panic. Some amphibians can cope with the fungus, and right now it’s not clear what this really means for frogs, toads and newts in England. That’s why we need help from volunteer frog surveyors” concluded Mr Foster. The project is the first of its kind in Europe.

Frog specialists in other parts of the world have been saddened to see their amphibians disappear after infection by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, which causes the disease chytridiomycosis. But scientists here need to know whether the disease is more widespread, and whether it is actually having an impact on our amphibians.

The Herpetological Conservation Trust’s John Baker, who will be training volunteers, said “England’s dedicated frog watchers are the front-line in discovering more about the disease. This spring we will be giving special instructions in dealing with the disease, alongside our training on amphibian surveys.”

Volunteers will take harmless samples, which will then be submitted to experts.

“It’s impossible to tell if a frog is infected just by looking at it, but this is where recent research comes in. Thanks to a special laboratory technique that amplifies tiny fragments of DNA, we can detect the fungus from a skin swab,” explained Eddie Brede at the Zoological Society of London. “By the end of the year we’ll have a much clearer idea of status of the fungus in England.”

Sir Martin Doughty, Chair of Natural England, said: “The natterjack toad is found at only around 50 sites in England, having declined by around 80% in the last century. A disease like this could have serious effects on an already threatened species and it is only with the help of willing volunteers that this potentially fatal disease can be tracked and eradicated.”

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