SAINT LOUIS ZOOWILDCARE INSTITUTE

AND AMPHIBIAN CONSERVATION:

ONE MODEL R. Eric Miller, DVM, Dipl. ACZM

Director

DRAMATIC INCREASE IN THE LOSS OF SPECIES

GOING, GOING……GONE

AMPHIBIANS – A WHOLE TAXA AT RISK

HOW TO MAKE AN EFFECTIVE CONTRIBUTION FOR AMPHIBIAN

CONSERVATION?

VISIT TO ZOO ATLANTA IN FALL 2005

THANKS TO DR. JOE MENDELSON

BALSA DE LOS SAPOS PROGRAM

• DR. LUIS COLOMA

• CATOLICA UNIVERSITY (PUCE) IN QUITO, ECUADOR

ECUADORIAN AMPHIBIANS• 441 SPECIES IDENTIFED TO DATE (#3

IN DIVERSITY)

• 40% ENDEMIC

• 2 SPECIES PRESUMED EXTINCT, 139 AT EXTINCTION RISK

AMPHIBIAN THREATS IN ECUADOR?

• EMERGING DISEASES

• HABITAT DEGRADATION AND FRACTIONATION

• CLIMATE CHANGE

ANDEAN SPECIES ARE MOST RISK

• CLIMATE CHANGE:

• .5OC WARMER IS WORLDWIDE AVERAGE

• ANDES ARE 2OC

WARMER

BALSA DE LOS SAPOS• STRENGTHEN ECUADORIAN

CAPACITY

• FIELD RESEARCH

• EX SITU

CONSERVATION

PILOT CENTER – 2 YEAR PROJECT

10 SPECIES

$54,000 FROM CATOLICA UNIVERSITY

$50,000 FROM SAINT LOUIS ZOO

BASO DE LOS SAPOS – 6 YEAR PLAN

$20,000,000 US

SAPARI: ADVENTURA EN UN MUNDO DE SAPOS

105,000 VISITORS IN 90 DAYS

TRAVEL TO US/EUROPE?

CATOLICA/WILDCARE

PARTNERSHIP

• PRE-EXISTING RELATIONSHIP WITH CATOLICA IN THE GALAPAGOS

• “SEED” MONEY FOR FUTURE PLANS

CATOLICA/WILDCARE PARTNERSHIP (CONT.)

• COST EFFECTIVE CONSERVATION – ALSO LABOR EFFECTIVE FOR US

• ECUADOR DOES NOT

ALLOW EXPORT OF

ANIMALS, SO MUST

BE IN COUNTRY– NOT ABOUT ACQUISTION BY ZOOS!

PHOTO CREDITS

THANK YOU TO DR. COLOMA

www.puce.edu.ec/zoologia/balsasapos

THE END