Endangered species numbers boosted
TWO HUNDRED endangered Pickersgill’s reed frogs bred in captivity at the Joburg Zoo, arrived in Durban by road this week to be introduced at two locations from where their parents, a starter group of 20 frogs, originated.
The Pickersgill’s reed frog is endemic to the KwaZulu-Natal coastal region, stretching from St Lucia on the north coast to Sezela on the south coast. This species of frog is on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list of endangered species.
The frogs were placed on reeds at Mount Moreland, near Tongaat, next to the site of the old Durban Airport south of the city.
Bryne Maduka, managing director of Joburg Zoo, said: “The success of this landmark amphibian conservation project, championed by Joburg City Parks and Zoo, in partnership with Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) highlights the benefits of collaborative projects among conservation entities in drawing on their collective skills and expertise.”
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife initiated the groundbreaking programme by requesting the Joburg Zoo to breed a sustainable “insurance” population of the species.
Over the past decade, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife had engaged with other government departments, parastatals, municipalities and conservancies to ensure that the Pickersgill’s reed frog was restored from the brink of extinction, Maduka said.
This approach followed the deadly outbreak of the Chytrid fungi
in the early 2000s, leading to the deaths of amphibian populations in many parts of the world.
In 2016, the biodiversity management plan for Pickersgill’s reed frogs was gazetted by the minister of Environmental Affairs, documenting the activities and requirements to restore the species and its habitats.
Last year, the breeding of the frogs was started in a specially-designed laboratory at the Joburg Zoo. The Zoo team was also tasked with the safe loading and transportation of the frogs to Durban
With funds provided by the Department of Environmental Affairs, EWT implemented programmes to rehabilitate the wetland areas which form the habitats for the frogs. This has included the removal of alien vegetation.
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and the EWT have also taken on the role of monitoring the 200 frogs after their release and will collect scientific data.