Sunday Reading

New Delhi, 8 July 2009

Frog Killings

EXTINCTION CRISIS TAKES A LEAP

By Radhakrishna Rao

A variety of frog species across the world are rapidly falling prey to a deadly fungal infestation which is traced to the ongoing global warming. This lethal fungus called Chrytid, known to thrive under conditions of abnormally high temperature, has already wiped out hundreds of amphibians in the US and is now wreaking havoc in the frog habitats of Philippines.

Zoologists specializing in amphibian ecology point out that the Luzon striped frog, one of the five affected endemic species, has already become extinct in the low-land forests in the southern tip of the main Philippine island of Luzon. Other frog varieties that have been affected by the fungal infection in this part include Luzon stream frog, Luzon fanged frog and Puddle frog. “The Philippines is home to an incredibly diverse amphibian fauna. Along with forest destruction, pollution and climatic changes, Chrytid fungus may turn to be the final blow that spreads major amphibian extinction in the archipelago,” says Rae Brown of the Biodiversity Institute of Kansas University.

As it is, the most recent frog species to be declared extinct is the Panamanian Golden frog, a national symbol of Panama. Interestingly, when the entire species of the brightly coloured Harlequin frogs in the thick forests of South America started disappearing, researchers veered round the view that something has gone wrong in the ecosystem of the amphibians. Indeed, frogs are considered a reliable indicator of the ecological decline.  Contamination of the water bodies with pesticides and harmful chemicals results in the life cycle of the amphibians getting disrupted with a serious consequence for their survival.

Certain abnormalities in frog, say researchers can be traced to water pollution as far back as the tadpole stage. This indicates that frogs can serve as a highly dependable monitor of pollution. In fact, a section of researchers believe that it may become possible to identify pollutants in an area just from the examination of frogs. Land clearance, mining wastes, pesticides and weed control measures are all conspiring to exert a negative impact on the healthy growth of frog varieties.

”Amphibians are already the most-threatened animal group because of disease, habitat loss and climate change. And man’s massive appetite for their legs is not helping” warns Prof. Corey Bradshaw, of the University of Adelaide. Not surprisingly then the year 2008 was celebrated as the “Year of the Frog” to mark a major conservative endeavour aimed at focusing on the extinction crisis.

Frogs which play an important role in the global ecosystem and food chain by devouring insects’ harmful to human health and standing crops are also unfortunately being “eaten into extinction”. In several countries, including India, Indonesia, France and Germany, legs of the edible frogs are in great demand as culinary delicacy. The declining number of frogs in the country’s paddy fields has been attributed to their being hunted down for food. Since the late 80s, a blanket ban on the export of frog legs from India has been in force. This was sequel to a finding that disappearing amphibian population meant an increase in the import of pesticides for controlling an exploding pest population.

Incidentally, less than 50 frogs are required to keep an acre of paddy field free of pests. An adult frog devours insects, equivalent to its own body weight. Studies carried out by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) have shown that declining frog population led to heavy crop losses and increasing incidence of malaria and encephalitis, the two deadly epidemics that continue to haunt the country.

Statistics show that France it the biggest importer of frog legs in the world. It imports an estimated 4,000 tonnes of frog legs per year, which has resulted in the massive disappearance of frogs in the paddy fields of Indonesia. Conservationists and animal lovers in West Europe have launched a vigorous campaign to save the frog by urging people to give up partaking frog legs in the menu.

Incidentally, Indonesia continues to be the largest exporter of frog legs. In a study by David Bickford of the National University of Singapore over a billion frogs are hunted down annually in Asia alone. In addition, the growing local consumption of frog meat in China and Indonesia is further contributing to the disappearance of the frog varieties.  Meanwhile, a study by the United Nations indicates that there has been a phenomenal increase in the global trade in frog legs over the last decades with France and the US emerging as its two leading exporters. It takes at least 20-25 adult frogs to realize one kg of frog legs.

A recent-most research drives home the point that the global pattern of harvesting and decline of the wild population of frogs appears to be following the same path set by the over exploitation of the seas and subsequent “chain reaction “ of fisheries collapse around the world. Regrettably, frog legs are on the menu at school cafeterias in Europe, market stalls and dining tables across Asia to high-end restaurants throughout the world.

In earlier times, Indians used to venerate frogs as harbingers of plenty and prosperity. In fact, even today rustics perform the “marriage of frogs” in the hope that it would bring the much-needed showers in the countryside and thus killing the frog is considered a crime and a bad omen.

Further ammunition to save the frog comes from the realization that many varieties are the treasure trove of pharmaceutically important chemicals, suitable for development of new drugs. Indeed, the capability of many frog species to remain immune to the fatal effects of the fungus found on their skin has inspired biomedical researchers to develop drugs that can easily neutralize the effects of the virulent microbes. For instance, the skin of the Ecuadorian tricolour frog produces a kind of pain killer, which has been described by medical researchers as far more potent than morphine.

On the other hand, secretion from the Peruvian giant monkey frog is used to make drugs to treat seizures and depressions. Further, the anti-microbial peptide found on the skin of the Australian red eyed frog is considered an ideal candidate for developing a drug against HIV. Against this backdrop, researchers rue that “as frogs disappear, our medical chest too goes with them”. –INFA

 (Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)