8 Ways to Help this Save the Frogs Day
“Since
2009, frog lovers from around the world have celebrated Save the Frogs Day on
April 28, taking part in events & other activities to help raise awareness
about the importance of our amphibian friends & ways to help protect them
& their homes…
According
to Save the Frogs!...as many as 200 species have disappeared from the landscape
since just 1980, while nearly 1/3 of the world’s amphibian species are
currently threatened with extinction. Some of the major threats they now face
include habitat loss, disease, pollution, climate change, invasive species,
& over-harvesting for the pet & food trades, & for many species
these threats overlap, compounding their seriousness…
ATTEND AN EVENT
…people
are hosting events around the world to educate people about frogs & how to
help them…
SAVE WATER, SAVE FROGS
The
water we use every day has to come from somewhere, & the places we take it
from are diverting it from prime frog habitats. Conserving water & wasting
less hot water, will help save energy & save some for them. Choosing tap
water over bottled water will also conserve resources frogs need, & comes
with the added bonus of keeping an unholy amount of plastic from entering our
environment.
DON’T LET THE PET TRADE CAUSE MORE HARM
Millions
of frogs are sold around the world for the pet trade…Not only is taking frogs
from the wild harming their populations, many die during transport, while the
largely unregulated trade is spreading infectious diseases that pose a deadly
threat to wild frogs. Unwanted pet frogs who are released into the wild can
also wreak havoc on local ecosystems.
EAT LIKE YOU LOVE FROGS
Frog
legs might not be a staple of anyone’s diet in the U.S., but an appetite for
them… is driving over-harvesting & pushing multiple species towards
extinction. The trade in both frog legs & live frogs is also helping spread
the deadly chytrid fungus, which has already caused frog extinctions around the
world. Even if frogs are farm-raised, non-native frogs can escape, introduce
diseases to native populations, & become an invasive species, causing even
more trouble.
Eating
like you love frogs, goes beyond just not eating them. Choosing plant-based
foods that take less land & resources than needed for the livestock industry
can also help preserve their homes & conserve the water they need.
DON’T DISSECT THEM
…Fortunately,
animal advocates have gained a lot of ground on this front, & many
classrooms have turned to humane alternatives. For more about why to say no to
dissections, & alternatives available, check out Digital Frog 2.5, &
the National Anti-Vivisection Society & the New England Anti-Vivisection
Society, which both offer information about alternatives an& ways to lobby
your lawmakers to pass student choice laws that support everyone’s right to
choose alternatives.
SHARE THE ROAD
Frogs
have places to go too, but with the number of roads & cars on them, they’re
playing a real-live version of Frogger, & the death toll is high.
Fortunately, people are taking action by helping them get across, whether it’s
just slowing down, or putting up signs, to patrolling areas they’re known
migrate & helping them get across safely.
MAKE YOUR BACKYARD, & COMMUNITY, FRIENDLY FOR
FROGS
Pesticides
are a major threat to frogs, & other wildlife, but they’re widely used on
both private & public properties. You can help by choosing to use other
wildlife-friendly gardening practices at home, & encouraging your cities to
do the same. You can also help at home by creating mini wetlands by building
frog ponds, & protect them from drowning if you have a pool by putting in devices
that will help frogs, & other animals, climb out.
VOLUNTEER
Whether
you want to fundraise for frogs, help promote education about frogs in schools
& your community, or get your hands dirty restoring frog habitats, there
are a lot of ways to help by volunteering with organizations like Save the Frogs,
or other conservation & wildlife advocacy groups in your area.”
Alicia
Graef
April
27/ 2018
Care2.com
Cute Critter Pic
