The Sticky Tongue Project + BERUS Herp Magazine = Love..

Taken from The Sticky Tongue Project-site:

“The Sticky Tongue Project has now teamed up with BERUS Herp Magazine!

BERUS magazine is published by Mr Leif Westrin and Mr Pierre von Rahmel.

“The aims of the the paper are to promote a greater understanding for amphibians and reptiles in nature and in terrarium environments; to encourage research; to stimulate the development of sound and  healthy techniques to maintain and propagate amphibians and reptiles in captivity, and to initiate and support measures to protect threatened species.

This digitally paper is religiously and politically independent, as well as noncommercial.

Foreign authors are welcome to contribute with articles in the English language. Our goal is to make the magazine more international and not just in Swedish. We warmly welcome more articles in the English language so that our magazine can be read by all animals and nature lovers around the world.”

You can check out their website here: http://www.berusmagazine.se/

Download the latest issue here: http://www.berusmagazine.se/latestissue.html

You can also find them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BERUSmagazine “

 

Introducing The Build A Frog Pond Contest!

Introducing The Build A Frog Pond Contest!

Dear SAVE THE FROGS! Supporter,

Habitat destruction is the number one cause of amphibian extinctions worldwide. Fortunately, homeowners and schools can help create new habitat for frogs! Building a backyard frog pond is a great way to give your local frog populations a boost.

The SAVE THE FROGS! Build A Frog Pond Contest invites schools and homeowners to build frog ponds on their property and document the project and its successes through video, photos and stories, which will be posted online to educate and inspire others to do the same. With your help we can cover the globe with frog habitat and fill the night air with the soothing sounds of frog calls. And of course there are great prizes for the winning school and the winning homeowner!!! The contest closes May 15, 2011, so start digging! Good luck!

savethefrogs.com/ponds

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Brand New Webpage for Scientists!

Scientists can help SAVE THE FROGS! We’ve added a thorough list of ideas to our brand new Scientists For Frogs webpage. Please be sure to forward the URL (and this newsletter) to your colleagues and grad students!

savethefrogs.com/scientists

 

The endangered species Gastrotheca cornuta.

 

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Brand New Webpage on Ranaviruses

You may have thought that chytridiomycosis was the only disease amphibians have to worry about…not so! Ranaviruses have been causing amphibian populations trouble for decades. Learn all about Ranaviruses on this brand new SAVE THE FROGS! webpage, created courtesy of Dr. Amanda Duffus.

savethefrogs.com/ranavirus

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Breanna’s Run For The Frogs

On October 16th, long-time SAVE THE FROGS! Volunteer Breanna Binder will run the 26.2 mile Baltimore Marathon in hopes of raising awareness about amphibian conservation and environmental education. Breanna’s goal is to raise $500 dollars for SAVE THE FROGS!

“I’m asking you to make a generous, tax-deductible donation to enable our future generations the chance to become informed citizens. Thank you for your support!”
– Breanna

Breanna has already raised $115 for SAVE THE FROGS!
Can you donate $26 and help her reach her goal?

Please donate at www.giveforward.org/runforfrogs

 

Breanna Binder

 

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SAVE THE FROGS! on Martha Stewart Radio

On Save The Frogs Day, I was a guest on Martha Stewart Living Radio (Sirius 112/XM 157). Maggie Mistal, host of “Making a Living with Maggie” interviewed me about ways to focus one’s career on a cause or passion. CNN has called Maggie one of the nation’s best known career coaches.

Listen to the interview here.

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Volunteers Needed!

SAVE THE FROGS! is powered by volunteers, and we have lots of ideas on ways anybody can help out! Please have a look at our newly updated Volunteers Page, complete with job descriptions and ideas on how anybody can help out. Whether you’re 7 or 70; a teacher, website developer, businessman, marketer, scientist, filmmaker, event coordinator,
publicist, graphic designer or couch potato; whether you’re into education, outreach, advocacy, research, business, or helping out in the office, we can find a way for you to help out!

savethefrogs.com/volunteers

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Saving The Frogs in Sacramento

SAVE THE FROGS! added a touch of amphibia to the Sacramento Reptile Show two weekends ago. Thanks to all the people who came by our table and saw my presentation!

And thanks to SAVE THE FROGS! Volunteers Michael and Brijesh…

That’s me teaching the crowd how to SAVE THE FROGS!

A little fan…

Four new supporters in their awesome 100% organic cotton t-shirts.

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Frog Artist of the Week

 

Congratulations to 13 year old Elizabeth Tsang, our Frog Artist of the Week! Remember that the 2nd Annual SAVE THE FROGS! Art Contest ends October 15th, so please submit your coolest frog art soon!

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Thanks for your support!
Dr. Kerry Kriger
Save The Frogs Founder, Executive Director & Ecologist

 

SAVE THE FROGS! is America’s first and only public charity dedicated exclusively to amphibian conservation. Your generous financial support makes our work possible!
Please donate at www.savethefrogs.com/donate
You can write to us at 303 Potrero Street #51, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 USA.

To sign up for this newsletter, please visit http://savethefrogs.com/newsletters

Symposium 2010 13-14 november, Norrköping Sweden

Årets Symposium i Norrköping, som är det 19:e i ordningen kommer arrangeras i lokalen Borgen  i Norrköping.
Det blir 10 stycken föredrag under symposiumet, ett kvällsarrangemang på lördagskvällen och ett Expo under lördagen. 
Vi har i år ett mycket bra startfält av föreläsare. Vi har Stephen Spawls, Andreas Gumprecht och Daniel Bennett.

Stephen Spawls, England. Stephen kommer prata om Afrikas reptiler under tre föredrag:

1.   Afrikanska herpetologiska äventyr.
2.   Afrikas reptilfauna; en överblick.
3.   Nordöstra Afrikas herpetofauna. 

Andreas Gumprecht, Tyskland. Andreas kommer prata om Asiatiska ormar under tre föredrag:

1.  Varan-ön. En resa till Ko Rak, i södra Thailand med information om Ko Lanta’s herpetologi.
2.  Fältherpetologi i Sydostasien.
3.  Den vanliga paddan, Bufo melanostictus, nästa stora område inom terrarie-rörelsen?

Daniel Bennett, England. Daniel kommer prata om varaner under tre föredrag:

1. De fruktätande varanerna i Filippinerna.

2. Ett decennium med bevarande-arbete i den dipterocarpa skogen på Polillo-ön; Var det värt det?
3. Sanningen runt stäppvaranen, Varanus exanthematicus. 

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This years symposium in Norrköping is the 19:th in a row and will be arranged in Borgen in Norrköping. 10 lectures will be held during the symposium, one eveningarrangement on saturdays evening and ond fair during the saturday.

This years startingfield of lectureholders are just as good as it allways is. We will be guested by Stephen Spawls, Andreas Gumprecht and Daniel Bennett.

Stephen Spawls, England.

1.  Adventures in African herpetology.
2.  The reptile fauna of Africa; an overview.
3.  The herpetofauna of northeastern Africa

Andreas Gumprecht, Germany.

1.  The monitor Island. A journey to Ko Rok, South Thailand with addtional notes to the herpetology of Ko Lanta.
2.  Field herpetology in Southeast Asia.
3.  The common Toad Bufo melanostictus to be the next big thing in the terraristic movement?

 Daniel Bennett, England.

1. The fruit-eating monitor lizards of the Philippine Islands.

2. A decade of conservation efforts in the lowland dipterocarp forest of Polillo Island; was it worth it?

3. The truth about the savannah monitior lizard, Varanus exanthematicus.

Want to read more?? Here is a link to Tropikföreningen Alba

Breeders’ Expo changing date and location!!

The following message is taken from the official site of Breeders Expo Europe:

21. April 2010 – WICHTIG – IMPORTANT – WICHTIG – IMPORTANT

Dears visitors of the Breeders’ Expo homepage!

So far many of you came to know the BEE as a show with pleasant atmosphere and lots of friendly service and cooperation. Unfortunately I must shift the show in Duesseldorf scheduled for the 1. Mai 2010 in date and location because the respective authorities in Duesseldorf not only make it impossible to keep this tradition alive, but the constraints issued two days ago also make the show impossible looking at any aspect of common sense, economy, and also aspects of animal welfare. To hold the show despite of these constraints would mean substantial legal conflicts.

The Duesseldorf public order office has taken all measures to stop the BEE – apparently backed by the Duesseldorf political regime. In a first step the permission for the BEE unlawfully wasn’t granted. After a painful and complete defeat at the Duesseldorf administrative court the authority had to accept they must issue the permission, and as a last desperate attempt has issued these constrains which, according to veterinarians, my lawyer, some vendors and others show the following attributes:

• partly they are simply unusual for events like this and show all signs of harassment without any functional background
• partly they have no juristical fundament
• partly they contradict themselves
• partly they are simply non-dischargeable, and of course not in the narrow time frame given by the show date and some deadlines set by the authority
• partly they contradict nationally and internationally accepted and proven knowledge of practical animal welfare
• partly they reduce animal welfare aspects to absurdity
• partly they cover aspects which are simply not in my responsibility as an organizer, partly I’m not even allowed to cover these aspects
• partly they unlawfully restrict the type and extent of the show

Since the respective veterinarian for the show indicated on the phone that he’s not willing to discuss content-related aspects with me, it appears absolutely useless to convince him with arguments and facts. Obviously this was never a question of animal welfare but still is a question of rendering the show impossible via constraints and this way to find a legitimation for the unlawful behaviour which was determined by the administrative court. Any productive collaboration is made completely impossible on such a fundament.

I will possibly announce further information on the BEE homepage, further juristical steps seem possible. Due to the narrow time frame another summary proceeding at the administrative court is not promising.

I deeply regret this decision and would like to send you my apologies for any possible inconvenience you might have to face even though I am not responsible. To hold the show despite this situation would most probably mean to confront visitors and vendors with severe dangers and problems. Thanks for your cooperation.

Lutz Obelgönner

<!–Go here to get our newsletter for latest updates …
Go to online booking …
Open for visitors: entrance from 9 to 15 hours, exhibition areas from 10 am
Open for vendors: from 6 am
Adress: Philipshalle, Siegburger Straße 51, D-40591 Düsseldorf-Oberbilk, www.philipshalle.de
Accomodation: To book hotels please make use of this link and the online booking form of the city of Duesseldorf.

–>
———
13. April 2010: Since his own show mid of March the organizer of another reptile show spreads the information that the BEE will not take place due to a missing permit from the City of Duesseldorf. So far I didn’t reply to this. Today I’d like to share the following facts:

1. The City of Duesseldorf indeed has refused the permit.
2. I find it quite puzzling that he, my competitor, of all people spreads the information about this decision. This allows interesting conclusions, I leave it up to you to draw them.
3. On my objection the administrative court of Duesseldorf today has decided that the respective authority has acted unlawfully and arbitrarily. The authority must issue the permit for the BEE.

In short: The BEE will take place. Details about the above mentioned court process will be kept under cover since I like to install a working cooperation between the authorities and the BEE in the future.

Link to Breeders Expo Europe

Link to a form that will allow you to order the newsletter.

Save The Frogs Day – April 30th, 2010

In an effort to raise awareness of the plight of amphibians, the scientific community has declared Friday April 30th, 2010 the 2nd Annual ‘Save The Frogs Day‘. On this day we encourage the appreciation and celebration of amphibians by people from all walks of life.

Gladiator Frog Hypsiboas rosenbergi

Please get involved and help spread the word! Only a small proportion of our public is aware that frogs are disappearing, and amphibian conservation efforts will not be successful with an uninformed public. Our goal is to make the amphibian extinction crisis common knowledge by Save The Frogs Day: help make it happen!

Keep informed!

Please join the SAVE THE FROGS! mailing list so that we can keep you informed of important Save The Frogs Day news and events.

Teachers

Save The Frogs Day is a perfect time for teachers and students to learn about amphibian extinctions and discuss ways that we can all contribute to amphibian conservation efforts. Please get your students involved in Save The Frogs Day activities, and be creative!

If you have any type of frog-related class or event planned, please be sure to REGISTER YOUR EVENT.

Let us know if you have any interesting lesson plans we should add to this page, and please add your thoughts to the Teachers section of the FrogForum. Inform your fellow teachers of the day, and be sure to check out the Teachers For Frogs page for more ideas.

General Lesson Plan

The key points that all teachers should mention in their classes this Save The Frogs Day are:

(1) Frogs are the most threatened group of animals on the planet, and are rapidly going extinct. Nearly one-third of the world’s 6,450 amphibian species are in danger of extinction and up to 200 species have completely disappeared in the last 30 years.

(2) Frogs are important to the ecosystem and to humans. See our Why Frogs page for more information.

(3) The primary threats to frogs are habitat destruction; pollution and pesticides; climate change; infectious diseases spread by human activity; over-harvesting for the pet and food trades; and invasive species such as introduced trout, crayfish and non-native amphibians.

(4) Students can help save frogs. Please visit our How to Help page for more information.

(5) All participating classes should make a Save The Frogs Day banner, and then email us a picture of all the students holding up the banner. We will be making a collection of all these photographs from around the world. Then hang the banner in your school as a permanent reminder of Save The Frogs Day and as a call to action for all of the school’s students.

Need a PowerPoint?

We have several PowerPoint presentations you can download or embed on your webpage. Have a look.

Art Teachers

Get your class involved in the 2nd Annual Frog Art Contest. There are cash prizes and students really enjoy this!

English & Writing Teachers

Get your class involved in the 2nd Annual Frog Poetry Contest and/or the 1st Annual SAVE THE FROGS! Essay Contest. Have each student write a Letter to the Editor of a local, state or national paper or magazine, discussing frog extinctions and Save The Frogs Day.

Biology Teachers

Discuss frog biology, natural history, reasons for the current mass extinction crisis and what can be done about it. Have your students investigate and write a short summary of the amphibian species in the area. Take a field trip to search for tadpoles. If you have permits/permission, you may want to collect some NATIVE tadpoles and begin raising them with your class on Save The Frogs Day, to be released at the pond from which they were collected at a later date (be sure someone can care for them until that point!). Perform a virtual frog dissection using computer software.

Does your school have a policy on dissections? The trade and transport of frogs for dissections is a likely contributor to the spread of infectious diseases, and in some regions contributes to the depletion of wild frog populations. Have your students write up an official statement requesting the school Principal or Board of Supervisors allow only virtual frog dissections in their school district.

Film Teachers

Have your students film any of the other Save The Frogs Day events happening at your school. Then have them upload their Save The Frogs Day videos to YouTube, to get the word out about amphibian extinctions and SAVE THE FROGS!. And please send us your school’s best video!

Philosophy and Ethics Teachers

Have your classes discuss the ethical implications of amphibian extinctions.

History Teachers

Discuss the history of the environmental movement.

Math Teachers

Use frogs in all your example problems; e.g. If 1% of the 100 million amphibians that are transported around the world for use as food, pets, bait, and lab subjects each year are infected with chytrid fungus, and 1% of these infected frogs are set free, escape into the wild, or have the water in which they were held set loose into the environment, and 1% of the native populations that are exposed are driven to extinction, how many amphibian populations likely succumb to chytrid each year? Now make it 5%, 10%, etc. Then have them read this paper (at least the abstract!).

Music Teachers

Set up a Battle of the Bands benefit concert at your school that day. Have the winning band take half the earnings, and donate the other half to SAVE THE FROGS!. Write frog songs, videotape them and YouTube them.

Hold a fundraiser

Please have your students hold a fundraiser for SAVE THE FROGS’ amphibian conservation efforts. Students will learn valuable business skills, feel good about their accomplishments, and help Save The Frogs do what we do best: SAVE THE FROGS!

Give them some reading material

Have your students read The Story of SAVE THE FROGS! and surf the savethefrogs.com website.

Watch a video

Watch Allison Argo’s excellent documentary The Thin Green Line. You can order the DVD here.

Design signs for local waterbodies

Is there a local waterbody in your town that has amphibians? Probably. Here is a great group project: have the students design educational signage to place at the waterbodies of local parks. The signs should include the name of the waterbody; pictures and/or drawings of the amphibians found there (the park administer likely has this info), as well as a few lines about each species; a few lines describing the amphibian extinction crisis, the importance of amphibians, and ways people can help; and finally, be sure to mention that the sign was created by the students of your school in celebration of this year’s Save The Frogs Day. Then have the students contact the local government and have their sign turned into a reality!

Build a frog pond behind your school

What better way to get kids interested in frogs than to have them build a frog pond behind their school on Save The Frogs Day? Their efforts will be rewarded when they see the first clutch of eggs in the pond, and when the first tadpoles metamorphose and crawl out of the pond! The Sage website has some great pond building tips, and so does TreeWalker’s Operation Frog Pond page.

Get politically active!

All participating classes should have students write, sign and address a letter to their Governor or one of their Congressmen, stating:

(A) Frogs are rapidly disappearing worldwide;
(B) They took part in Save The Frogs Day activities;
(C) At least one reason frogs are important; and
(D) At least one step the politician should take to help frog populations.

Don’t worry, we’ll be adding a form letter to this page that will make the letter-writing easy! You just have to provide your students with the names and addresses of the relevant politician(s), and then collect and mail the letters. Finally, be sure to report back to us and let us know how many letters you sent!

Have your students get the word out

Our Spread The Word page has informational flyers you and your students can post around school and town.

All teachers please do this…

Whatever you decide to do, please be sure have fun, and please REGISTER YOUR EVENT!

Students

Please tell your teachers about Save The Frogs Day and refer them to this page. Print this flyer and deliver it to your teachers. Get your classes involved in the 1st Annual Frog Art Contest and 1st Annual Frog Poetry Contest.

Ask your teachers for permission to set up a SAVE THE FROGS! informational table in the school hallway this April 30th. We can provide you with informational flyers to hand out, and you can help raise money for SAVE THE FROGS!. Be sure to contact us if you are able to set up a table.

Have a school newspaper? If so, you can write a short article for the paper announcing Save The Frogs Day. Give a 5-minute talk on frog extinctions to your class (ask your teacher permission well in advance and they will likely grant you permission). If you are a university student, see if you can give a frog presentation to K-12 students at a local school. If you are a K-12 student, see if you can give a short presentation on frogs to students a grade or two below you. Have a look at our Spread The Word page, our Students for Frogs page, and add your thoughts to the Students section of the FrogForum. Also, read through the Teachers section on this page.

Whatever you decide to do, please be sure to Register Your Event. And have fun!

Scientists

It is our duty as scientists to protect amphibian populations, and this will not be possible unless we rapidly and successfully educate the public about the amphibian extinction crisis.

Can you devote a few hours on April 30th towards educating the public about the amphibian extinction crisis?

Please help us make Save The Frogs Day a huge success by giving a public lecture on amphibians at a local school, museum, zoo, aquarium or community group on April 30th, 2010 (or any time in that general timeframe). It’s great publicity, its a great way to spread the word about amphibian declines, and it is guaranteed to get students interested in batrachology and environmental conservation. Feel free to use one of our freely downloadable PowerPoint presentations. And be sure to register your event! We need to track what is happening!

An incredibly small proportion of the public is aware that amphibians are in trouble, and we all have a vested interest in changing this unfortunate situation:

(1) An environmentally conscious society attempts to care for versus destroy the environment, and thus by educating the public regarding environmental issues we will help to ensure that our current hard work will not be laid to waste by the environmentally-destructive actions of future generations.

(2) Increasing students’ interest in batrachology will mean a larger pool of potential graduate students for you to choose from, and thus higher quality researchers working in your lab.

(3) Issues that are engrained in the public’s consciousness receive more monetary funding from governments, private foundations, and average citizens, and we all depend on this financial support.

If you are affiliated with a herpetological society, please have your group send a Save The Frogs Day announcement to all of its members. Add the Save The Frogs Day icon at the top of this page to your personal or professional website and that of your society. Post the Save The Frogs Day flyer up at your place of work. Have your motivated students contact us about volunteer opportunities.

Businesses

Your business can help SAVE THE FROGS! Whether its becoming an official sponsor of Save The Frogs Day, or holding a Save The Fogs Day sale and offering a portion of the proceeds to SAVE THE FROGS, our Businesses For Frogs page has lots of ideas on how your business can take part in Save The Frogs Day activities. Be creative: helping the frogs can be serve as valuable positive PR for your company!

Events

Benefit Concerts

If you are a concert promoter, band manager, or if you are a musician, you are in a perfect position to help SAVE THE FROGS!. If you already have a gig scheduled on April 30th, perfect…make it a Save The Frogs Day benefit concert! Benefit concerts are one of the best ways to raise money for frog conservation and promote awareness of frog extinctions (not to mention have a good time!). Plus the concert will provide your band with excellent positive publicity!

If you set up a Save The Frogs Day Benefit Concert, we’ll list it in the Events section of this page. We can provide educational materials for you to distribute, or we may be able to host a SAVE THE FROGS! informational table at the venue. Please see our Musicians for Frogs page and contact us for more information. Rock out for the frogs!

Live Lectures

Batrachologists worldwide will be giving live presentations on frogs and frog extinctions at local schools, museums, zoos and community groups. Talks on the 1st Annual Save The Frogs Day took place in the USA, Canada, Italy, China, India, Croatia, Australia, Colombia, South Africa, Bangladesh, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Nepal, Portugal, Switzerland, Madagascar…and this year will be more extensive. We’ll soon post a list of all lectures locations and times.

SAVE THE FROGS! 2nd Annual Frog Art Contest

We encourage all art teachers to get their classes involved in the 2nd Annual Frog Art Contest this Save The Frogs Day.

SAVE THE FROGS! 2nd Annual Frog Poetry Contest

Looking for a great way to get your English or Writing class involved in Save The Frogs Day activities? Please have them take part in the 2nd Annual Frog Poetry Contest. There are cash prizes!

Save The Frogs Day Poster

In commemoration of the 1st Annual Save The Frogs Day, we present this limited edition 18×24″ print featuring artwork by SAVE THE FROGS! Art Director Ms. Leah Klehn (the 1st Lady of Frog Art).

Can you help us make Save The Frogs Day wildly successful by donating $15? We’ll send you this fantastic poster plus a free savethefrogs.com bumper sticker if you do!

Spread The Word

We need Save The Frogs Day to be more popular than Thanksgiving!!! Please do your part:

(1) Email your friends and tell them that Save The Frogs Day is April 30th, 2010: http://savethefrogs.com/day

(2) Put a note up on your website and add a link to this page. Use the Save The Frogs Day icon at the top of this page, or the one right here–>

(3) If you use Facebook, Myspace or Twitter, make the icon to your right your profile picture. Just right click and choose “Save Picture As”.

(4) Please see our Spread The Word page and be creative!

(5) You probably email 100+ people per week. Please make an automated signature for your email. Just go to your mail options or settings and there should be a place to set up the automated signature. Have it say this:
Save The Frogs Day – April 30th, 2010
www.savethefrogs.com/day

(6) Put this flyer up at your school, workplace, or anywhere else. Just left-click on the flyer and a PDF will open in a separate window. Try to print them in color if possible!

Official Declaration of Save The Frogs Day

We would like to thank Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia for officially recognizing Save The Frogs Day. We also thank Mayor Gregor Robertson of Vancouver, British Columbia who has declared April 28th, 2009 Save The Frogs Day in Vancouver; and Chairman Corey Stewart who declared April 28th, 2009 as Save The Frogs Day in Prince William County, VA; and Mayor Harry Parrish who declared April 28th, 2009 as Save The Frogs Day in Manassas, VA.

By virtue of the authority vested by the Constitution in the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, there is hereby officially recognized:

SAVE THE FROGS DAY

WHEREAS, amphibians are in considerable peril here in Virginia, and nearly one-third of the world’s 6,468 amphibian species are threatened with extinction and at least 150 species have completely disappeared since 1979, and thus amphibians are the most threatened group of animals on Earth; and

WHEREAS, amphibians are critical components to our ecosystems, especially the Green Tree Frog (Hyla cinerea) in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and because amphibians provide ecosystem services to nature and to humans including (1) cleaning waterways by eating algae during their tadpole stage; (2) serving as a vital source of food to dragonflies, birds, fish, and reptiles, (3) consuming large quantities of ticks, mosquitoes and other pest species that serve as disease vectors that can transmit fatal illnesses to humans; and

WHEREAS,approximately 10% of Nobel prizes in physiology and medicine have resulted from investigations that used amphibians, and because when an amphibian species disappears, so does any promise it holds for improving human medicine; and

WHEREAS, amphibians face a multitude of threats including pollution, pesticides, habitat destruction, climate change, invasive species, infectious diseases (the spread of which are facilitated by human activities), and over-harvesting for the pet, food and bait trades; and

WHEREAS, we believe in the right of children to see, hear and catch amphibians in their native habitat, and amphibian conservation efforts will not be successful without an educated and informed public;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Timothy M. Kaine do hereby recognize April 28th, 2009 as SAVE THE FROGS DAY in the COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.

Help get Save The Frogs Day recognized in your state

Please left-click on the picture below to get a PDF of a petition sheet you can print out and use to collect signatures, which we will send in when we ask your governor/mayor to legally recognize Save The Frogs Day. These signatures will help convey to your politicians the importance of amphibian conservation. Further, by collecting these signatures, you’ll be spreading the word every time you talk to someone about Save The Frogs Day.

Sponsors

If your business or organization would like to be an Official Sponsor of Save The Frogs Day, please contact us. Your support will be invaluable to the success of Save The Frogs Day, and we will see to it that you get the positive publicity you deserve, including listing your company’s name and logo right here on savethefrogs.com.

Please donate to help SAVE THE FROGS!

Your tax-deductible contribution will prevent amphibian extinctions through environmental education, scientific research, legal defense, and through the acquisition of critical amphibian habitat.

Thanks for your support…Together we can SAVE THE FROGS!

Panamanian Golden Frog

The beautiful Panamanian Golden Frog (Atelopus zeteki) is considered Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Only three animals of this species have been seen in the wild since late 2007 and it is now quite possibly Extinct in the Wild.

Atelopus zeteki, Panama Golden Frogs, Paul Crump

Fortunately for the species though, approximately 1,500 animals still exist aboard the AArk, thanks to the work of Project Golden Frog (www.ProjectGoldenFrog.org) and the El Valle Amphibian Conservation Center (EVACC) (www.houstonzoo.org/amphibians/) in central Panama.

The Amphibian Ark is currently trying to help create a dedicated facility in Panama, at the EVACC, to house an expanding population of golden frogs that will hopefully someday be used for reintroduction back into the wild. Work on building this his facility is almost complete, but requires an additional $15,000 to complete.

Please give the gift of gold – make a donation (maybe in someone else’s honor) and help us to save one of the most spectacular amphibian species, the Panamanian Golden Frog, from extinction. Please click here to make your donation.

Kevin Zippel
Amphibian Ark Program Director

100% of funds donated to Amphibian Ark for the Panamanian Golden Forg project will be spent on ensuring a long-term future for this species, and donations to the Amphibian Ark are tax-deductible for most US tax-payers.

Antibody dependent enhancement of frog virus 3 infection

Viruses included in the family Iridoviridae are large, icosahedral, dsDNA viruses that are subdivided into 5 genera. Frog virus 3 (FV3) is the type species of the genus Ranavirus and the best studied iridovirus at the molecular level.

Ranavirus

Typically, antibodies directed against a virus act to neutralize the virus and limit infection. Antibody dependent enhancement occurs when viral antibodies enhance infectivity of the virus rather than neutralize it.

Results: Here we show that anti-FV3 serum present at the time of FV3 infection enhances infectivity of the virus in two non-immune teleost cell lines.

We found that antibody dependent enhancement of FV3 was dependent on the Fc portion of anti-FV3 antibodies but not related to complement. Furthermore, the presence of anti-FV3 serum during an FV3 infection in a non-immune mammalian cell line resulted in neutralization of the virus.

Our results suggest that a cell surface receptor specific to teleost cell lines is responsible for the enhancement.

Conclusions: This report represents the first evidence of antibody dependent enhancement in iridoviruses. The data suggests that anti-FV3 serum can either neutralize or enhance viral infection and that enhancement is related to a novel antibody dependent enhancement pathway found in teleosts that is Fc dependent.

Author: Heather EatonEmily PennyCraig Brunetti
Credits/Source: Virology Journal 2010, 7:41

From 7:th space, available via BioMedCentral (Open Access).

The Giant Ditch Frog: Eaten To Extinction … Almost

Ever heard of a Mountain Chicken? Nope … it is not a bird.  Would you believe me if I told you it was a type of amphibian?  Seriously -  it is!

The Mountain Chicken, also known as the Giant Ditch Frog (Leptodactylus fallax) is a HUGE frog that lives on the islands of

Mountain Chicken, also known as the Giant Ditch Frog (Leptodactylus fallax).

Dominica and Montserrat.  At just over 6 inches in length, it is one of the largest frogs in the world!

It used to be found on several more islands including Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Kitts and Nevis … but populations of this frog have unfortunately disappeared completely from these islands. As of 1999, the species range had decreased to a mere 17 square kilometer area on Montserrat.

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Did you enjoy this article so far?

Well then, you can find the rest of it at the SaveTheReptiles.com webpage.

Happy reading!

Caresheet for Long-nosed viper ( Vipera ammodytes )

Origin/Spreading:

• Italy, Austria, , Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia-Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, some Adriatic, Ionian and Aegean islands, Albania, Greece, Turkey and Transcaucasia.
Subspecies:

• Vipera ammodytes gregorwallneri: Southern to Eastern Austria and to Slovenia.
(Not considered by some as a subspecies anymore)
• Vipera ammodytes meridionalis: Southern Macedonia southern Albania, Greece to
western European Turkey.
• Vipera ammodytes montandoni: Romania, Northern Bulgaria (to the Black Sea) to European Turkey.
• Vipera ammodytes ruffoi: Only surroundings of Bolzano, Alto Adige Italy. (Not considered by some as a subspecies anymore)
• Vipera ammodytes transcaucasiana: Northern and western coastal near Turkey to Caucasus. ( Considered by some scientists to be a species of it own V. transcaucasiana )
Please note! The subspecies status is still under investigation!!
Description:

• This strong, heavily built snake becomes up to 80 cm´s long, some individuals reaches even over 95 cm. Males are larger than females. It has a typical triangular head that sets off clearly from the slim neck. On the head tip they have a diagonally forward arranged horn. 21-23 keeled scalerows. Both males and females have a dorsal zigzag-band. Males are brighter in colouration than females and have sharper markings on the dorsal zigzag-band.
Habitat:

• They prefer warm, dry areas like rocky bushy slopes, and can also be found in edge of woods or in glades. Can be found as high as 2000 meters above sea-level.
They are active during daytime till dusk and like sunny places.

Attitude:

• The animals are not aggressive normally. In case of disturbance they hiss loud and bite sometimes.

Allways handle this species with hook or tong!! Never “free handle”!!
Terrarium:

• Theese vipers should be kept in medium sized cages on a mixture of sand, loam and forest earth. Interior with large stones/slabs and roots/branches to make it look natural, make sure that there are hiding places.

• SECURITYTIP: Make sure that the terrarium are set up in a way, that makes you able too see the whole interior area without opening it. That way you can always “count-in” you’re animal/s, so that so you don’t become surprised by a hiding snake.

• A drinking container with fresh water is needed at all times.
• Temperatures between 24-28ºC, with a baskingspot under witch 32-35ºC are reached. Temperatures dropping at night to 20 ºC. Spray gently with water in the morning, a little extra in the evening when the animal/s are shedding.
• No UV-B vitamins/lightning are required for the species.
Reproduction:

• The species requires a hibernationperiod for about 8-10 weeks at temperatures between 0-7ºC. Livebearers, 5-18 young that are15-22 cm´s long at birth. Males wrestle with each other before mating with the female. Mating season in the nature is April to May, in captivity 1-3 weeks after hibernation is over and the males have shed.

Venom:

• The venom is probably the strongest of the European vipers, except for
Macrovipera schweizeri and Montivipera xanthina. Haematoxin. Life-threatening or deadly bites are expressed rare, usually it comes to local symptoms of intoxication. Pain is usually strong, a swelling occurs within 2 hours of time.
Among the general symptoms of intoxication one ranks: vomiting, beating of the heart, cramps, shock, possibly swindles and unconsciousness.
In case of bite, visit nearest hospital immediately!
Food:

• Mice, young rats. In the nature they eat rodents, rarely lizards and birds.
Good luck with your animal!

This caresheet can be found at Terrarium Morbidum – Captive bred European herptiles at www.terrariummorbidum.se

Link to the caresheet ( pdf-file).

Little lizards make big money for Indonesian villagers

JAKARTA (Reuters Life!) – A tiny Indonesian lizard has become big business for impoverished villagers in Indonesia, where growing Asian demand for reptile-based traditional medicines has driven a boom in gecko farming.

Geckos — the pale, soft-skinned lizard with a distinctive call — are abundant in Indonesia and are believed by Chinese and Korean traditional medicine devotees to help cure cancer as well as skin and respiratory diseases.

In rural Banjarsawah village, on the eastern half of Java island, struggling farmers have discovered geckos make a surprisingly lucrative commodity.

Tohasyim, 32, a farmhand who earns 10,000 rupiah (about $1) a day feeding other people’s cattle, now makes 1 million rupiah or about $110 a month hunting geckos in a local forest.

“I start hunting the geckos in the evening after I finish my job, feeding other people’s cattle. I normally start hunting the geckos at 6 in the evening until 5 in the morning,” said Tohasyim, who, like many Indonesians, has only one name.

The industry began four years ago when one villager, Abdurrahman, began drying geckos at home and selling them to an exporter.

Now, more than 100 hunters scour the forest nightly catching the skittering lizards and delivering them to Abdurrahman, 40, who delivers them to the exporter.

Most villagers in Banjarsawah are now involved in dried gecko production. Hunters venture into the forest in groups of four or five, wearing battery-powered head lamps and catching the lizards with their gloved hands.

About a dozen workers, mostly housewives, spend days stretching, drying, and packing the lizards. They often work from 7 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon in the dark woven bamboo house of the industry’s owner. When demand is high, they work even longer. These workers earn about 20,000 rupiah per day.

“My job is stretching the geckos. I get 525,000 rupiah per month. I think this is enough to cover our day-to-day needs,” said Hobiah, a farmer’s wife who is pregnant with her second child and has been working in the industry for almost six months.

The high season for gecko hunting is during Indonesia’s rainy period, from December to February.

Abdurrahman, a father of two, said he cannot disclose how much he earns from his gecko business, but he says he’s happy with what he makes.

“On average, every three days we can get 5,000 to 10,000 geckos collected by hunters and we produce a maximum of 1,600 dried geckos in a day,” he said.

He sells the geckos in pairs. One pair in good condition costs 4,000 rupiah, while a damaged pair missing the tails fetches 2,000 rupiah.

But gecko hunting has got environmentalists alarmed. R. Tri Prayudhi, a campaigner at East Java-based conservationist group ProFauna said that while the animals were not endangered, they played an important role in the ecological system and should remain in the wild.

“The gecko is a wild animal and should not be traded. The problem is that there is no protection for these animals in Indonesia. We have a principle that a wild animal belongs in nature,” Prayudhi said.

(Editing by Sunanda Creagh and Miral Fahmy)

From: Reuters India

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I really, really wish that the poor people working with the catch, would be taught and assisted in breeding the geckos, insteda. Perhaps catch a number of the species, and keeping them for breeding. It sounds more like a “win/win”- situation to me..

// Miqe