Locals urged to preserve bullfrogs

There are 160 frog species in South Africa, of which 30 per cent are threatened due to habitat destruction, increasing levels of pollution in freshwater systems, disease and changes in climate.

Tarrant said that what many South Africans don’t know is that frogs play a key role in our indigenous ecosystems, because they act as both a predator of insects, some of which are disease-spreading, as well as being prey for a host of other species.

“Their habitats are sources of freshwater and also assist in water filtration and flood reduction,” Tarrant

“Frogs are also important bio-indicators, due to their sensitive skins and because they inhabit both aquatic and terrestrial environments,” Tarrant said.

“In other words, if they are around, it means our environment is healthy.

“The fact that one third of our frogs could potentially disappear is a warning sign that our natural environs are in jeopardy and that urgent conservation action is crucial.”

The good news, she added, is that, unlike a number of other endangered species, which require global support and intervention, the protection and conservation of frogs is something in which ordinary South Africans can play a meaningful and impactful role.

In Benoni, there were pamphlets encouraging people to help to preserve bullfrogs by building frog ponds in their gardens or school grounds, cleaning up their local wetlands, ponds or streams, learning more about local bullfrog areas, slowing down when driving on rainy nights and to get involved in Leap Day for frogs, among many others.

The City Times spoke to local environmentalist Anne Mearns, who shared more information about frogs and bullfrogs.

Mearns said the biggest threat to frogs and bullfrogs are developments near wetlands, the making of roads, traffic and people who kill them, “saying they make too much noise”.

She said a study of frogs and bullfrogs was made from 2003 to 2006, for the Gauteng Conservancy Stewardship Association.

“We had a wonderful response and people from all over South Africa, and a few from Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia, were also interested in this study of frogs.”

Mearns said the enthusiasm displayed for the interesting findings and the experiences of people during the study were shared, and a booklet was compiled.

“The study that was done on the frogs encouraged many people, schools and children to take positive steps of protection and interest in our frogs species of South Africa and we have put together colour-in posters on

wetlands and frogs, and booklets on frogs for nursery, primary, senior primary and high school for learners.,” she said.

Mearns added that the wetlands, pans, reed beds, dams, marshes and open spaces (grasslands) in which the frogs live are also natural features, which give towns like Benoni a unique identity.

“When you remove these natural and historical features of the East Rand towns you will be left with poorer and less diverse cities,” she said.

Frogs will stay in a garden for several years.

Bullfrog and sand pans are shallow pans ideal for mating and enable the bullfrog to fertilise the eggs (approximately 4 000 eggs are laid) while mating.

The eggs, said Mearns, hatch 30 hours later, depending on the heat of the weather, and the tadpoles take between 18 to 30 days to grow from a miniature to an adult frog.

Mearns added that Sand Pan and Bullfrog Pan were declared conservancies by the Gauteng Conservancy Stewardship Association.

The conservancies improved the state of the pans, as well as the protection and the breeding of frogs.