Frog-killing virus ‘rampaging across Britain’
A DISEASE that wipes out frogs is spreading across the UK, conservationists have warned.
Climate change is increasing the reach of the devastating ranavirus from southern England to the rest of the UK. In areas where it is established, it has killed up to 80 per cent of the frog population over the past decade.
Research led by the Zoological Society of London reports that the expected increase in temperatures over the next 50 years means the virus will spread to virtually all of the UK. Until now, outbreaks tend to occur from May to October and are confined to southern England, the Midlands, the North-west and South Yorkshire. There are also pockets of the disease around the southern Welsh coast and Devon.
It can be tricky to identify and the most obvious sign of its presence is finding a large number of dead frogs in a short space of time. They are often thin and lethargic before death and develop skin ulcers, sores and bleeding.
Lead author of the study published in the journal Global Change Biology, Dr Stephen Price, from ZSL’s Institute of Zoology and UCL said: ‘Climate change isn’t something that’s just happening in faraway places – it’s already had hard-to-predict impacts on wildlife in our own back gardens.
‘This is one of the first studies that provides strong evidence of the impact of climate change on wildlife disease.’ ZSL scientists suggested frogs may be better able to cope with infection if they have areas in which they can cool down.
Gardeners can help by having log piles, vegetation or shady patches as well as keeping ponds deep.
■ Concern about climate change has hit new highs, a Government survey suggests. Polling for the Business and Energy Department found four-fifths of Britons are now fairly or very concerned about the issue, the highest level since the regular survey began in 2012.