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Showing posts with the label Toughie

Interview and Live Q & A with Leilani Munter at the Amphibian Foundation, One year after Toughie died and the Rabbs' Fringe-limbed Tree Frog went extinct.

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Leilani Münter and I in the Herpetology Lab at The Amphibian Foundation. A link to the interview is below. Interview recorded live on September 26th 2017

Another one from the series of my last images taken of ‘Toughie’, the last known Rabbs’ Fringe-limbed Tree Frog who passed away September 26, 2016.

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His death marks the likely extinction of the species #Ecnomiohyla rabborum. Here are some facts about this frog: #Toughie was collected as part of the Panamanian frog rescue mission in 2005, set forth by ABG and Zoo Atlanta to save frogs being decimated by chytrid fungus. I had the honor of working with him for almost 7 years, and in that time his sad story of being the very last of his kind had, in a powerfully sad way, made him an ‘ambassador' for amphibian conservation and awareness. Almost 40% of the world’s amphibian populations are documented as in decline, or already extinct. That means that this frog - who my son nicknamed ‘Toughie’ when he was 2 years old - is unfortunately not entirely unique in his situation. There are other species out there, blinking out before we even have a chance to recognize what was happening, let alone reverse it. Amphibians are disappearing and their declines are telling us something we need to pay attention to. It’s going to take all of us to...

A National Geographic article on the Rabbs' Frog and global amphibian declines — and mentioned The Amphibian Foundation!

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'Toughie' as Anthony, and now the world refers to him — Photographed by Joel Sartore Here's a link to the article

I thought I would share some of the last images taken of Toughie.

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via Instagram http://ift.tt/2dux5Tt As many of you know, I had the honor of his company for many years, and any time he was out while I was checking on him, I would take flash-less photos of his handsome face. Toughie was collected as part of the Panamanian frog rescue mission in 2005, set forth by ABG and Zoo Atlanta to save frogs being decimated by chytrid fungus. I had the honor of working with him for almost 7 years, and in that time his sad story of being the very last of his kind had, in a powerfully sad way, made him an ‘ambassador' for amphibian conservation and awareness. Almost 40% of the world’s amphibian populations are documented as in decline, or already extinct. That means that this frog - who my son nicknamed ‘Toughie’ when he was 2 years old - is unfortunately not entirely unique in his situation. There are other species out there, blinking out before we even have a chance to recognize what was happening, let alone reverse it. Amphibians are disappearing ...

A Tribute to Toughie, the last known Rabbs' Fringe-limbed Tree Frog. Made from footage shot for #RacingExtinction

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Image by Joel Sartore | Meme by Leilani Münter

Knowing this day would come didn’t make it any easier.

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via Instagram http://ift.tt/2d5EpUb https://www.instagram.com/p/BK6zdXuDn5e/ The last known Rabbs’ Fringe-limbed Tree Frog has passed away in the Atlanta Botanical Garden’s frogPOD, where he has lived since 2008. He was collected as part of the Panamanian frog rescue mission in 2005, set forth by ABG and Zoo Atlanta to save frogs being decimated by chytrid fungus. I had the honor of working with him for almost 7 years, and in that time his sad story of being the very last of his kind had, in a powerfully sad way, made him an ‘ambassador' for amphibian conservation and awareness. Almost 40% of the world’s amphibian populations are documented as in decline, or already extinct. That means that this frog - who my son nicknamed ‘Toughie’ when he was 2 years old - is unfortunately not entirely unique in his situation. There are other species out there, blinking out before we even have a chance to recognize what was happening, let alone reverse it. Amphibians are disappea...