Amphibian Ark, a nonprofit coalition created to guide short-term captive management of amphibian species that cannot be saved in the wild, is reaching out to zoos, aquariums, corporations, governments and individuals through its “2008 Year of the Frog” campaign to help save as many as 165 amphibian species from extinction.

While habitat destruction is a serious threat, the most immediate cause of decline is a parasitic fungus called amphibian chytrid. The unstoppable chytrid fungus, which can kill 80 percent of native amphibians within months in the wild, has spread quickly from Africa across the rest of the planet.

The Clorox Co. (Oakland, Calif.), the campaign’s first corporate sponsor, is
donating Clorox Regular Bleach to help halt the spread of the fungus. Bleach solutions are used to treat anything that has contact with water during amphibian rescue, from boots and clothing to instruments and transport containers, as well as enclosures in aquariums and zoos housing rescued animals.

“We are grateful to Clorox for signing on as the first official sponsor of ‘2008 Year of the Frog’ and hope their commitment will encourage others to join this important global conservation mission,” said Kevin Zippel, program officer for Amphibian Ark.

“When we heard about Amphibian Ark’s campaign and learned that bleach played a critical role in its efforts, we wanted to help,” said Mary O’Connell, public relations director for The Clorox Co. “Amphibian Ark really is creating an ark in what’s become a race to save frogs and other amphibians not from decline—but from extinction.”

Conservation biologists refer to amphibians—frogs, toads, salamanders, newts and caecilians—as the canaries in the coal mine because they are among the first species affected by environmental stressors.

For more information, go to www.savethefrog.com. [March 2008 PET AGE]