Silent Nights

[Stretchhh]

A sad note to come back on to this forum i'm afraid.

My frogs are dying or have died already. I'm talking about the aussie frogs that have been inhabiting my 2.5 acre paradise...for the 18 years or so I have been here.

This time last year I would walk around the ponds in the middle of the day and spy maybe 20 frogs or more basking in the sun and at night I would fall asleep listening to their mating calls. This year...almost nothing. I had maybe three pairs lay eggs early Spring but since then almost nothing. It's a job to even see a frog now. 2 years ago I would've seen thirty or more so you can see how rapid the decline.

I've been finding sick, dying, dead frogs for these last few years but mainly in the Winter and I put it down to Aussie frogs being caught out of climate...you know not being in hibernation or that other state-can't remember the word...semi-hibernation. But these frogs have been found dead or not moving prior to death at random times all seasons, not just early Winter I now realise. They (the frogs) just go into a kind of stuper, just sitting where ever I find them. Not jumping away like you'd expect and sure enough dead right there in a day or so.

What's going on? Has anyone else experienced this or heard of it in their neighbourhood. Is it that bloody chitrid? virus we've all read about and there's another one called red leg I read. I'm ok with letting nature take it's course but it's a real downer if they all go...

I live in Tuakau, South Auckland.

[Insect Direct]

thats very sad.

maybe worth contacting DOC. Hopefully they will do some tests. Otherwise maybe cytrid fungus, but im no expert.

[Insect Direct]

http://www.nzfrogs.org/

maybe something there or on the doc website. Ive seen somethign about reporting sick frogs somewhere...

[alanmin4304]

With Chytrid they get a light pink belly and under the legs. Frogs are very sensitive to water conditions and are a good indicater of the condition of waterways.

[Stretchhh]

hmmm. Cheers people. ' pretty sure it's that chytrid fungus. I'm thinking, hoping that any surviving frogs now still alive will either build or have already some immunity. But i'm not holding my breath, still i've got a couple of hundred tadpoles coming along so there's still hope...