Dominica’s beloved wildlife still shaky a year after Maria

“toad” – the frogs are unusually large, breed in underground burrows rather than water, and have a distinctive mating call that is somewhere between a “whoop” and a bark.

“We have been to their usual sites and heard their calls so we know there is still some activity,” Mr Guye said. “But their habitat was badly damaged and some relocated.”

“The skin disease combined with the storm means their status is very shaky.”

‘Nature isle’

The “nature isle” owes much to its forests, long the source of everything from bush medicine to eco-tourism.

Environment chiefs say sightings of agouti, possums, red-necked amazon parrots and doves have been positive and they hope to begin a thorough wildlife inventory in January.

Hurricane Maria struck September 18, 2017 and killed dozens of people, ripped roofs from 90 percent of buildings and caused damage topping $1.3 billion.

It’s a date seared into the nation’s memory, and while the nation’s cherished trees could take up to a decade to return to their former glory, their gradual rejuvenation is a welcome sign of recovery.

“Our wildlife is a resource that’s integral to our culture and traditions, and we work hard to protect our forests,” Guye said. “Without it, children today would not know what a mountain chicken or an agouti was. I want my children and grandchildren to know too.”