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©Gerardo Garcia

The mountain chicken is one of the largest frogs in the world. It’s the top native predator on its island home of Montserrat and Dominica. But it is also Critically Endangered.

First threatened by habitat loss, introduced predators and over-exploitation, it has been brought to the brink of extinction by the introduction of the fungal disease Chytridiomycosis onto both islands.

The Mountain Chicken Recovery Programme is a collaboration between European conservation institutions and the governments of Montserrat and Dominica to save this species from extinction.

Having had a few nights of peace and quiet in the temporary ponds, it was time to release the first half of the captive-bred mountain chickens into their new home. The team mobilised to get the chosen frogs ready for release. They needed to be identified, swabbed and have the transmitters checked for the radio tracking before being placed into cloth bags and boxed up to be transported to the release site. Bringing mountain chickens back to their naural habitat … Continue reading →