Conservationists are sounding the alarm as one unique amphibian has become virtually extinct.
In the lush heart of the Caribbean lies the island of Dominica, a place of staggering natural beauty and biodiversity. Nestled among its emerald forests and flowing rivers, one of the world’s rarest species is fighting for survival: the mountain chicken frog. But how many are left?
The decline of the mountain chicken frog: a precarious existence
Despite once thriving on six different islands in the Caribbean, invasive species and habitat loss drove mountain chicken frogs to extinction on all but two islands: Montserrat and Dominica.
Protected and hidden away, the world’s last remaining mountain chicken frogs stayed safe there for several decades. However, the arrival of the deadly chytrid fungus (in Dominica in 2002 and Montserrat in 2009) changed everything.
Within just two years, chytrid wiped out over 99% of the last mountain chicken frogs. Now, Dominica has the last wild population on earth.
Mountain chicken frog at Chester Zoo
Wild mountain chicken frogs killed by the chytrid fungus on Montserrat
Scientists taking a DNA sample from a wild mountain chicken frog
These carnivorous frogs play a vital role in island ecosystems and are one of the largest, most unique frogs in the world. They can leap over an adult person and weigh up to 1 kg, which is over 30 times heavier than the UK’s most common frog!
Working together with governments in the Caribbean and conservation organisations worldwide, we helped launch an ambitious mission to save them. And together, we just might stand a chance.
How many mountain chicken frogs are left?
Our collaborative, expert team recently travelled to Dominica to conduct vital surveys and estimate just how many frogs are left on the island. In total, 28 conservationists from 13 different organisations rigorously surveyed two small areas on Dominica known to still support mountain chickens.
Despite the team’s mammoth survey effort, around 960 combined hours over 26 nights, only 23 frogs were found in total: five in an area that was once considered a stronghold for these amphibians, and 18 in another.
Based on these results, there’s likely less than 50 mountain chicken frogs left in the wild.
Jeanelle Brisbane, founder of the NGO WildDominique, said:
“The charismatic male calls of the mountain chicken frog once reverberated around the rainforests of Dominica at night — we want to bring this sound back to our island, for our people. It’s devastating that our next generation on may never hear this iconic soundscape which defines our island.”
And even more worryingly, we found that, in addition to facing chytrid, Dominica’s last mountain chickens face a whole host of other threats: severe droughts and flooding that have been worsened by climate change; habitat loss; illegal dumping and burning of rubbish; rumours of poaching for food; and invasive species, such as feral cats, dogs, pigs, Cuban treefrogs and rats.
However, amidst the gloom of these findings was a glimmer of hope. The group found one adult male frog that was also caught during a survey in 2015, making this individual at least 11 years old! That means this old male survived the chytrid pandemic that wiped out so many others. His presence offers hope that, if the other threats are dealt with, the species can recover.
Kieran Richardson, Curatorial Assistant, Ectotherms | Chester Zoo
“This is one of the most threatened amphibians in the world, and a crucial part of the ecology of the islands where it lives. Dominica has the last wild mountain chickens following their extinction from the wild on Montserrat, and it is promising to see that there are still frogs and that they’re breeding, but very concerning that the population is so small.”
“It will take a concerted effort to make sure this species does not go extinct in the wild, and the safety net population in European zoos, including the frogs here at Chester, will be key to preventing that from happening.”
The Mountain Chicken Recovery Programme
For more than 20 years, this specialist, collaborative team has been working on the Mountain Chicken Recovery Programme to help save this species. It’s a partnership that involves Chester Zoo, WildDominique, Montserrat National Trust, The Government of Montserrat’s Department of Environment, The Forestry, Wildlife and Parks Division of the Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica, ZSL, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Nordens Ark, Fauna and Flora, and Riga Zoo.
It’s a huge international effort led by the communities and scientists from the frog’s range countries, working with the help of other conservation organisations, with Montserrat retaining ownership of all the frogs cared for at European zoos.
Together, we’ve helped to establish safety net breeding populations, investigate resistance to chytrid, and trial ground-breaking treatments for this disease. However, these new surveys show that the survival of this unique species in the wild is balancing on a knife edge.
Saving a species from extinction is no small feat, and if we are to continue to hear the unique call of the mountain chicken frog in Dominica, we need immediate and up-scaled collaborative conservation action before it’s too late.
OUR TEAM OF EXPERTS WORK IN SIX REGIONS AROUND THE GLOBE – REPRESENTING SOME OF THE PLANET’S MOST BIODIVERSE HABITATS. Discover more about our SCIENCE AND CONSERVATION work.