A frog species that is in a “perilous state” due to an infectious disease has been successfully bred at a wildlife park in Oxfordshire.
Keepers at the Cotswold wildlife park in Burford have again bred the near-threatened cinnamon frog, four years after it became only the second zoological collection in Europe to breed the species.
Reptile keepers have paid homage to the name and called the froglets after different coloured spices including paprika, cayenne, saffron, chipotle and chilli, and they are being looked after in a specialist amphibian breeding room.
Jamie Craig, general manager of Cotswold wildlife park, said the species is in a “perilous state” due to the chytrid fungus, an infectious disease in frogs.
He said: “Our dedicated reptile team have been working hard to perfect breeding techniques in our Amphibian Room.
“Many frog species have incredibly specific requirements, and it is a testament to their hard work that they have now managed to replicate our previous success with the cinnamon frogs.
“With the perilous state of many amphibian species in the world due to the Chytrid fungus, any expertise garnered from the captive populations may well be important tools for the future of these fascinating creatures.”
Only five other zoos in Europe keep the species with one other successfully breeding the frogs in the last 12 months, according to the wildlife park.
The amphibians, known for their distinctive reddish-brown colour, similar to cinnamon, and black-and-white spots across their bodies, are native to parts of south-east Asia including Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Sumatra.
The cinnamon frog is also known for its unique call, which was described by reptile keeper Megan Howard as “delicate, beautiful and unusual” after filming the wildlife park’s new froglets calling to each other.
A worldwide campaign known as Save The Frogs Day takes place annually on 28 April to raise awareness about their declining numbers and aims to protect amphibians from extinction.
In December 2018, cinnamon frogs and tentacled snakes were among the animals that died in a fire at Chester zoo.
Visitors were evacuated and keepers were able to move all the zoo’s mammal species to safety – including a group of critically endangered Sumatran orangutans, Sulawesi macaques and endangered silvery gibbons – and birds such as rhinoceros hornbills.
The Guardian reported in October that some frogs handle unwanted male attention by appearing to feign death, a study found.
Researchers in Berlin said the findings shed new light on the European common frog, suggesting females do not simply put up with the male scramble for mates – a situation in which several males can end up clinging to a female, sometimes fatally.
