ASHFORD NEWS (UK) 05 August 08 Frog killing disease 'came from released pets'
Two lethal diseases are threatening to wipe out the entire amphibian population in Kent.
That is the warning of a leading expert on frogs, toads and newts from London Zoo.
Senior scientist Dr Andrew Cunningham said chytrid fungus has been found in two secret sites in the county, one west and one east, in the last two years.
Both are completely wild areas.
But more worrying is the apparent rapid spread of Ranavirus, which could decimate the Britain’s entire amphibian population.
He said: “There have been reports in Kent of people waking up and finding their lawns covered in dead frogs.
“The number of victims is often way in excess of what people thought were in their gardens. The virus was introduced most likely by people getting rid of exotic amphibian pets, which then in turn infected the local population.
“I would urge people not to dump their unwanted pets in the countryside, or even domestic ponds for that matter.
“It can have a serious effect on the amphibians already living there and close by.”
London Zoo has teamed up with the charity Froglife, which has campaigned for amphibian conservation since 1989.
Spokesman Lucy Benyon said: “It is extremely important the amphibian population is protected.
“We are losing literally thousands of frogs and toads a year to these two diseases.
“Now we need people across Kent and the rest of the country to check on their frogs and toads and report back seeing dead ones, particularly if they appear to have skin problems. It can be very obvious that a frog was sick before it died. I would also urge that these two diseases have no effect on humans.”
Teams of volunteers are already out taking swabs of frogs they find to analyse any possible spread of the diseases.
Dr Cunningham said: “Amphibians are being devastated by disease on a global scale, but we have only an extremely limited picture of what is going on in our own backyard.
“There is a whole range of reasons why dead amphibians turn up in gardens and many of these are completely normal events.
“However, during the humid summer months we hear numerous reports of unusual frog deaths in gardens.”
Symptoms include lethargy, thinness or unexplained mass-deaths of adults or juvenile amphibians. Internal bleeding and open skin sores have also been reported.
Anyone finding unusual amphibian deaths are asked to tell Froglife using a report form on its website www.froglife.org.
This information will then be used by the Zoological Society of London in its research on diseases affecting UK amphibians.
Frog killing disease 'came from released pets'