SKY NEWS (London, UK) 05 May 08 On Patrol With The Frog Swab Squad (Catherine Jacob)
They may not be the most handsome of creatures, but the common frog is a much loved feature of our countryside.
British frogs under threatNow though, Britain's frogs are under threat from a deadly fungus, which has arrived here from abroad.
And it's not just frogs. Newts, toads and other pond life are also at risk from the chytrid fungus, which lurks in the water and clings to amphibians' skin, ultimately killing them.
One rainy Wednesday morning, I joined Eddie Brede from the Zoological Society of London to search some ponds in Watford, to try to find out how big a problem we're facing.
First things first: disinfect your wellies.
Eddie told me: "You have to disinfect your boots because you could have just come from a population that's chytrid positive and if you then go into a new pond ... the last thing we want to do is spread the fungus.
"In particular, dog walkers, ramblers, they all have to be careful as chytrid can be spread in mud or sand or the bottom of your boots or in water or on hair as well."
So far the deadly fungus has been found in eight different areas of the country, all in Kent and Cumbria.
Eddie, along with other conservationists, is leading a nationwide survey to discover how widespread the problem is in our amphibian population.
Though in Watford, Eddie didn't discover any frogs, we did find lots of newts, including those of the great crested variety, which is protected in the UK.
Once we'd swabbed our newts we took them back to the lab at the Zoological Society of London where Eddie showed us how they test the swabs for the presence of the fungus.
So far, in Watford, so good. But he told me he isn't complacent: "If the fungus does spread in the UK as it has done in other places it could mean the total eradication of the species.
Chytrid fungus lurks in the water"For example, the golden frog in Panama was as common as the common frog here in the UK and now there is only one population held in captivity because all the other wild populations have been eradicated."
So what is causing the disease to spread across the world?
Well, experts believe the non-native North American bullfrog may be to blame for bringing it to Britain, as it carries the disease, but is not affected by it.
Conservationists are so concerned that they have now set up a project called Amphibian Ark, to try to save vulnerable populations.
I visited London Zoo, from where the Ark is administrated.
The Zoological Society's Lesley Dickie said: "We mobilise resources and we basically try and get a sample population.
"We take them out of the wild. We don't take an entire population, we take a sample, so if the worst comes to the worst and the fungus wipes out the population, we have a sample facility in our zoos across the world, if, that is, we get to a point where we can combat chytrid we can put them back."
So while the fungus has already claimed victims elsewhere, the hope is that efforts here in Britain may protect our native pond life from a similar fate.
On Patrol With The Frog Swab Squad