Wildlife experts take urgent action after endangered species nears total collapse: 'Situation was really, really bad'

London-based conservationists are working to restore a vulnerable colony of endangered Darwin's frogs from halfway around the world. Launching an emergency rescue mission in a remote Chilean national park, the conservationists recently rescued 53 adult frogs from a deadly fungus plaguing the colony's native habitat. 

In October 2024, researchers from the Zoological Society of London rescued the frogs from Tantauco Park located on the south end of Chiloé Island in southern Chile. That's because the park is home to a deadly fungal infection called chytridiomycosis — or chytrid — fungus. 

YaleEnvironment360 explains that chytrid fungus causes a deadly infection that suppresses a frog's immune response. It first attacks the amphibian's skin, an essential barrier in frogs that aids respiration and supports overall health. As the infectious disease progresses, the frog's motor functions fail and it struggles to breathe. Eventually, the frog dies from a heart attack. Darwin's frogs are highly susceptible to the deadly fungus and often die within mere weeks of infection.

According to The Guardian, chytrid fungus has been a problem worldwide for the last three decades, killing off at least 90 species and endangering hundreds more. Experts call it "the most devastating infectious animal disease ever documented."

The Guardian reported that recent conservation monitoring found a 90% decline in the Darwin's frog population at Tantauco Park because of the fungus.

"We realized the situation was really, really bad," Dr. Andrés Valenzuela-Sánchez, a research fellow at the Zoological Society of London, told The Guardian. "We rapidly decided we needed to do something, We needed to do an emergency rescue."

A documentary titled "A Leap of Hope" captures a portion of the team's delicate and difficult rescue. Not only were the frogs on a remote island filled with camouflaging lush vegetation, but the species is incredibly tiny. Darwin's frogs are under 3 centimeters long and weigh just .07 ounces, per London Zoo.

Of the 55 frogs collected from the national park, two were infected with chytrid fungus. The remaining 53 frogs were sent on an 8,000-mile journey by plane, boat, and van to London. There, the frogs settled in a London Zoo habitat that replicated their natural environment with seasonable temperatures, regular rainfall, appropriate lighting, and familiar foliage.

Now settled in the enclosure, 11 rescued males have released 33 young froglets into the habitat, starting a new generation of healthy frogs. Male Darwin's frogs hold young tadpoles in their vocal sacs for brooding, releasing the young frogs out of their mouth once developed.

The conservationists call this new generation a "huge milestone" in their overall mission.

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"We have the founders, the first adults, and now we have this first generation of offspring born at the zoo," Valenzuela-Sánchez told The Guardian. 

Researchers aim to breed the frogs further to help boost their population while exploring treatments and conservation options for chytrid fungus. 

The fungus appears to thrive in conditions caused by unstable global temperatures, though studies conflict on why. Some studies found that climate shifts like extreme heat and drought may weaken Darwin's frogs' immune systems, making the species more vulnerable to infection. Others have found that heat could be an antidote for deadly fungus, proposing so-called "frog saunas" — small brick structures covered by miniature greenhouses and placed in the sun — that could help infected frogs clear the infection.

With further research and understanding, conservationists hope to develop treatments for chytrid fungus and eventually return the frogs to their native habitat.

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