1,300 Darwin’s frogs die in just one year due to chytridiomycosis: What is our emergency plan?
Tantauco Park, in southern Chile, Latin America, was home to the largest known populations of Darwin’s frog, an endangered amphibian found only in Chile and Argentina. In 2023, a team led by the Ranita de Darwin NGO and Andrés Bello University discovered that the chytrid fungus, which causes chytridiomycosis, had reached this natural paradise, previously free from the disease. In just one year, the fungus devastated Darwin’s frog populations, killing over 1,300 individuals in its destructive path.
Faced with this dramatic emergency, a coalition of organisations quickly formed to launch an ambitious project aimed at rescuing and restoring this critical refuge for the species.
One of the first emergency actions taken to address the imminent disappearance of Darwin’s frogs in Tantauco Park was the creation of a national and international network of captive breeding centres to safeguard the species while seeking a solution to the chytridiomycosis threat. In October this year, a group of Darwin’s frogs from Tantauco Park was successfully transferred to the ZSL (Zoological Society of London)’s London Zoo for conservation and to establish a research programme to combat the disease.
“Darwin’s frogs are highly susceptible to chytridiomycosis; when infected, a frog can die within weeks, and the disease can wipe out entire populations,” said Dr Andrés Valenzuela Sánchez, project leader, president of the Darwin’s Frog NGO, and researcher at the Zoological Society of London.
Darwin’s frog is the only amphibian in the world where the male carries tadpoles in its vocal sac. “This important Chilean species is on the brink of extinction due to native forest loss, climate change, and chytridiomycosis, a global pandemic decimating amphibians worldwide,” added Prof Claudio Azat, a project member and director of the Centre for Sustainability Research at Andrés Bello University, where he has studied this disease for over a decade.
United for Conservation
The project aims to implement in-situ conservation actions alongside a captive rescue programme to preserve the genetic diversity of the Darwin’s frogs from Tantauco Park, with the ultimate goal of reintroducing the species into its native forests. “The arrival of chytridiomycosis in this protected area was devastating. We realised immediately that we had to act swiftly to save these animals,” said Bastián Santana, a researcher at the Ranita de Darwin NGO who participated in the discovery. Alan Bannister, general manager of Tantauco Park, added: “Every crisis represents an opportunity. I am hopeful that this collaborative project will become a global example in the fight against wildlife extinction.”
The rapid response to this emergency in Tantauco Park has been made possible by a robust network of collaboration established under the Binational Conservation Strategy for Darwin’s Frogs, an initiative bringing together governmental agencies, non-profits, and private entities from Chile and abroad. Prof Jörg Junhold, Director of Leipzig Zoo in Germany, a participant in the strategy and project, remarked: “The international cooperation arising from the conservation of Darwin’s frogs is a global model for species conservation.”
A Race Against Time to Save Darwin’s Frog
Osvaldo Cabeza, a project member from Chile’s National Zoo, emphasised: “Captive breeding centres may be the last resort to safeguard amphibian populations facing imminent extinction due to chytridiomycosis.”
The project will rescue frogs to be housed in various local and international institutions, including a breeding station led by the University of Concepción in collaboration with Leipzig Zoo. “It is an honour to be part of this captive breeding network, which will provide a brighter future for Darwin’s frogs,” said Prof Juan Carlos Ortiz, leader of the Concepción breeding centre. This international network will increase capacity for care and housing of the frogs while enabling the exchange of individuals to maintain healthy genetic diversity.
Given the urgent need for scientific research to protect Darwin’s frogs from chytridiomycosis, 53 individuals were transported as part of the project to ZSL London Zoo. This conservation charity, which has been involved in Darwin’s frog conservation in Chile for 17 years, is a global leader in chytridiomycosis research. “Transporting Darwin’s frogs to another continent was no easy task, especially as we were racing against time in a complex operation involving 51 people from 9 different institutions. Thanks to a dedicated global team and a strict biosecurity protocol, all the frogs survived the journey, which spanned 13,000 km by sea, land, and air,” said Ben Tapley, Curator of Amphibians and Reptiles at ZSL.
In addition to contributing to research on chytridiomycosis, offspring of Darwin's frogs in the UK will be returned to Chile to support the reintroduction of the species in Tantauco Park. “We have built a dedicated facility for Darwin’s frogs at London Zoo, capable of replicating the light and humidity cycles of Chilean forests to ensure these tiny visitors feel secure and remain healthy during their stay,” added Andrés Valenzuela Sánchez, a Chilean wildlife health researcher at the British institution. “I am convinced that the integration of research and conservation, both in captivity and in the wild, will allow Darwin’s frogs to repopulate Tantauco Park and thrive in their ancient native forests,” concluded the project leader.
Thank you for reading our blog: 1,300 Darwin’s frogs die in just one year due to chytridiomycosis: What is our emergency plan? If you want to actively participate in our organization, visit https://www.ranitadedarwin.org/adoptaranitadedarwin.
You can watch the live broadcast where we presented the Tantauco Rescue Alliance and our action plan on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ranitadedarwin.
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