Zoo Closures Are Putting Conservation Programs in Jeopardy (1)

摘要

The Togo slippery frog lives amidst the waterfalls and forests of eastern Ghana. Just three inches long in adulthood, with skin the color of glistening mud, its nondescript appearance belies a fascinating history. It belongs to a family of frogs that dates back 70 million years to the late Cretaceous period, when dinosaurs still roamed the earth. Hunted for its meat so relentlessly over the last 5,000 years that for decades it was feared to be extinct, today it’s one of the most endangered amphibians on the planet. Alongside more than 100 other species in 50 countries around the world, the Togo slippery frog is protected by EDGE of Existence, which stands for “Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered” and is funded by the Zoological Society of London. EDGE is the only global initiative of its kind, training early-career conservationists and emphasizing local ownership of habitat protection-and ZSL, in turn, is one of the world’s first and most iconic zoological organizations. It inspired Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, and hosted living legend David Attenborough’s first nature documentary.