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New! Oophaga lehmanni crisis
The smugglers have again taken the Colombian Oophaga as an easy option, especially the frogs of the Valle del Cauca province. According to our previous results, the red lehmanni morph lives only in 3 small patches of forest that had been previously unknown to local collectors, and the yellow morph, which had disappeared for years, was again located in an area now surrounded by coca crops. Months ago, a foreign smuggler started again to buy many frogs. First, as we understand, were asked 400 lehmanni . The collectors were unable to catch such amount, because they just did not find all those frogs, and supplemented this shippment with histrionica. While there, we were advised that again they are preparing a shipment, presumably of 1000 frogs. During a week of extensive searching in the previously known locations, we could locate only 2 frogs. However, that afternoon, the collectors, came in and collected another 8 frogs, which may well be some of the lastest.
It is often said that a smuggler could never collect all the frogs of an area, but that claim does note that this case involves a team of experienced collectors, in a very circumscribed area. That's why we think lehmanni is approaching a near total or total collapse of their populations. The authorities and entities responsible are doing their best to stop this smuggling tide, but is reality hard to control the extraction in an area like that with much poverty and sluggling history.
Given this complicated situation, we would like to create a mechanism for potential buyers to be aware, understand and can work with us stopping or at least reducing the demand.
Ideally, we could have some flyers and a small website explaining the situation. Given that the extraction and shippment is going to be this December, we need to be fast. Personally, I'll be working on the drafting of the material, but we need help. If you have time and want to help can contact me at my mail. We need graphic artists, page diagraming, and webmaster. Also, translators and editors for English, German and Dutch(does anyone translates Japanese?) Some of you own or manage excellent forums and magazines that might serve to publicize the initiative once it is ready.
This is a non-profit initiative that could later get institutional support. However, in view of the rush, the early stages will depend almost entirely on voluntary support.
Thank you very much
Daniel Mejia Vargas, Colombia
Biologist
Contact Daniel through the Email form here
Photos from your "special" vivarium - Your photos requested!
I'm interested in putting photos from your very special vivarium online here, but I need your help. It might be that you have made some special solutions or just a very betiful and natural vivarium, please let me know.
There is much people around that has been showing a very big interest in how you can make artificial rocks, branches and waterfalls and so on, so please, send me a mail and I'll answer you with information about how to upload the files and a possible description of the content in the photos.
Articles and travel logs
I have started add some more to the 'articles' area here at the website. There is articles added about O. granuliferus, O. granuliferus "green", O. pumilio "blue jeans" and O. pumilio "black jeans" and about the Nordic Frog day in Denmark. There is still photos missing in the frog articles, but they will be added as soon as i get some time to go through all photos. Thats the backside of having thousands of nice photos to select among.
Dennis Nilsson - webmaster and site owner of DartFrog.tk
