The most "lonely" frog in the world makes an appointment

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A frog, considered the last of its kind in the world, has been granted a respite from loneliness.

Romeo, known as the most solitary frog in the world, spent 10 years in isolation in an aquarium in Bolivia.

Scientists say that they found him a Juliet after an expedition to an isolated cloud forest in Bolivia.

Five Sehuencas water frogs found in a stream have been captured for the purpose of reproducing and reintroducing amphibians into the wild.

Teresa Camacho Badani is head of herpetology at the Museo de Historia Natural Alcide in Orbigny of the city of Cochabamba and responsible for the expedition.

She is optimistic that the opposites will attract even frogs: "Romeo is really calm and relaxed and does not move much," she told BBC News. "He is healthy and likes to eat, but he is rather shy and slow."

Juliet, however, has a very different personality. "She is very energetic, she swims a lot, she eats a lot and sometimes she tries to escape."

The five frogs – three males and two females – are the first Seheuncas frogs to be seen in the wild for a decade, despite their previous research in the wilds of Bolivia.

Romeo was collected 10 years ago when biologists realized that the species was in danger, but they should not be left alone for so long.

A year ago, he had attracted the attention of the international community on his search for a partner and even received a partner profile.

Race to find a companion for the 'solitary' frog & # 39;

The newly discovered frogs are now quarantined at the museum's conservation center, where the race aims to prevent the extinction of the species.

Sehuencas water frog: the facts

• An aquatic frog (Telmatobius yuracare) once abundant in the small streams, rivers and ponds of Bolivia's montane cloud forest

• Water frogs are rapidly declining in Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru
• They face a combination of threats, including climate change, habitat destruction and the introduction of invasive trout.

Chris Jordan of Global Wildlife Conservation, which supports conservation efforts, said it was risky to take animals into captivity.

However, there are too few frogs in the wild to maintain a viable population in the long run, he said.

"We have a real chance to save the Sehuencas water frog – by restoring a unique part of the diversity of life that is at the root of Bolivian forests and by generating important information on how to restore similar species. threatened with extinction ".

The frogs found will be treated to protect against an infectious disease, chytridiomycosis, which eliminates amphibians worldwide.

Romeo will then meet Juliette to produce offspring that may eventually be reintroduced into her natural habitat.

In Bolivia, 22% of amphibian species are threatened with extinction due to habitat loss, pollution and climate change.

Teresa Camacho Badani says that the history of Romeo is important to draw attention to the plight of amphibians.

They have not found any other water frogs in adjacent watercourses, raising worrying questions about the health of the ecosystem.

"This is a very good opportunity to use Romeo to understand these threats, to understand how to bring these species back from the brink, but also to take advantage of the global profile that Romeo and his species have now," she said. declared. .

BBC World Service – The investigation, can we stop a mbad extinction

Other amphibians, such as the midwife Majorcan toad in Spain and the kihansi toad in Tanzania, were reared and reintroduced by a few individuals before.

"They offer hope, as part of this sixth mbad extinction, that there are solutions to maintain our wonderful biodiversity, to protect endangered and even extinct species in the wild, to bring them back and to restore the beauty of these ecosystems, "said Chris Jordan.

All species are important and should not be underestimated because their DNA represents millions and millions of years of evolution, he added.

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