Tiny frogs named after Charles Darwin flown from Chile to London to save them from deadly fungus
Dozens of tiny frogs named after Charles Darwin have landed in London after being rescued from a killer fungus in Chile.
The peculiar, pointy-nosed southern Darwin’s frog once thrived in the Parque Tantauco forests in southern Chile.
But it is now plagued by the devastating chytrid fungus spread by humans, and their numbers have plummeted by 90% in just one year.
In a race to save the remaining creatures, a team of conservationists led by London Zoo launched a rescue mission to bring some back to the capital for a breeding and research programme.
In 1834, Darwin was the first to describe the tiny amphibians, which weigh less than 2.0g and are under 3cm long.
The species is unusual because it is the male frog who becomes pregnant and carries the eggs in its vocal sac, protecting them as they grow into tadpoles and froglets.
Scientists spent five painstaking days in October combing the Chilean forest for the well camouflaged frogs.
The team tracked them down the thanks to their “unmistakable, distinctive whistle, reminiscent of a songbird”, Andres Valenzuela-Sanchez, project lead and Institute of Zoology research fellow, told Sky News.
They then checked the animals were fungus-free before sending them on their long journey.
The frogs were sent on a six-hour boat ride, 15-hour drive to capital Santiago and a final flight to Heathrow, all in custom climate-controlled transport boxes.
Conservationist prepares bio-secure environment for the frogs. Pic: London Zoo
Endangered Darwin’s frog. Pic: London Zoo
Mr Valenzuela-Sanchez said the journey was “no small feat”, and involved “meticulous planning and more than a few sleepless nights”.
All 53 frogs arrived in good health and some even started making their whistling calls straight away, suggesting they were happy in their new surroundings, said ZSL, the conservation charity that runs London Zoo.
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ZSL hopes the animals, which are on loan from the Chilean government, will reproduce at the zoo, so their offspring can be reintroduced in Chile.
Ben Tapley, London Zoo’s curator of amphibians, said having a population there will “not only safeguard their survival but can also raise awareness of the urgent conservation challenges they face”.
The southern Darwin’s frog must be protected because it is a “flagship species” for its endangered ecosystem – the Southern Hemisphere’s temperate forest – and because it sustains other species, like birds and snakes that feed on them, said Mr Valenzuela-Sanchez.
The fungus that threatens the frog has been spread around the globe by people, already wiping out 90 species and driving declines in a further 500, according to ZSL.
An amber warning has been issued for snow in a part of the UK, likely to cause travel delays and “stranding some vehicles and passengers”.
The warning, which covers south west England, also warns some rural communities could become cut off and is in place until 2pm this evening.
Pic: Met Office
There is also a yellow weather warning for snow covering the southern counties of England until midnight on Wednesday.
The warning stretches from Kent to Cornwall and up to south London and the Met Office said between 2cm and 5cm of snow could accumulate fairly widely, with as much as 10cm over higher ground.
This week is expected to see the coldest nights of the year, with temperatures potentially reaching -14C on Wednesday night and -16C on Thursday night, both in the North East of England and Scotland, the Met Office said.
Weather warnings issued on Tuesday for snow and ice covering the parts of Wales, the North West of England, west and northern parts of Scotland as well as Northern Ireland will remain in place until midnight tomorrow.
The forecaster said some roads and railways are likely to be affected and there could be icy patches on untreated roads.
Pics: AP
Meanwhile the Environment Agency has said at least 300 properties have flooded across England since New Year’s Eve. It estimates more than 41,000 properties have been protected.
Heavy rainfall over the New Year caused significant river and surface water flooding across the North West of England and Yorkshire and snowmelt has brought further disruption to parts of England, particularly the Midlands, the agency said.
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Floods minister Emma Hardy said: “My sympathies go out to the people, businesses and communities impacted by the recent flooding across the country.
“I want to express my heartfelt thanks for the vital work that the Environment Agency and emergency services are doing to keep people safe. People must continue to follow their advice and sign up for flood warnings.”
Flood warnings
Some 100 flood warnings were in force across England on Wednesday, with people urged to remain vigilant over the coming days.
A danger-to-life warning was issued on Tuesday morning for the River Soar near Barrow upon Soar, Leicestershire, but was later removed.
People living in caravan parks in the area were urged by the Environment Agency to act, with a large-scale evacuation needed to save lives.
Firefighters have rescued dozens of people across Leicestershire since Monday, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said.
Hundreds of schools were closed across the UK, with road and rail links blocked, as Manchester, Bristol and Liverpool John Lennon airports suspended flights because of the conditions.
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