Project golden frog.(YEAR OF THE FROG)

The brilliantly colored golden frogs native to the cloud forests of Panama are culturally significant to the people of that nation, as revered as the bald eagle is in the United States. They have long been considered lucky by Panamanians, who commonly use figurines and live frogs to promote hotels and restaurants.

Panamanian golden frogs (Atelopus zeteki), or PGFs, have been recognized as distinct species from the similar-looking harlequin frog (Atelopus varius) based on a unique skin toxin, zetekitoxin, and bioacoustical differences. In addition to vocalizing, PGFs communicate by "semaphoring," a limb-waving behavior that may have evolved to allow these frogs to locate others near waterfalls for breeding, where loud background noise renders their gentle vocalizations inaudible.

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A. zeteki has been listed in Appendix I of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) since 1975 and as endangered (as A. varius zeteki) under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) since 1976. Factors affecting golden frog populations include collecting for Panamanian zoos and hotels, as well as for the illegal pet trade; deforestation; and stream sedimentation resulting from logging and farming. An even greater threat is the amphibian disease chytridiomycosis, which is caused by the pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. This disease was first observed in the mountains of central Costa Rica, where it may have caused the extinction of the golden toad (Bufo periglene). It has since advanced southeastward through the cooler mid- to high-elevation mountain forests of Central America, decimating entire populations of amphibians. As of 2007, the disease in Panama was documented as far eastward as El Valle de Anton, the type locality (the location from where the first described specimen was collected) of A. zeteki, raising the odds that both golden frog species may soon be extinct in the wild.

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In response to the impending chytrid crisis, a group of concerned biologists convened in 1998 to form Project Golden Frog/Proyecto Rana Dorada (PGF/PRD), a conservation consortium involving numerous Panamanian and U.S. institutions. The primary goals of PGF/PRD are to preserve the golden frog by establishing a captive breeding colony and to use the attractive frog as a flagship species for spotlighting general amphibian decline issues. Specific initiatives of PGF/PRD include field studies, captive management, education, and financial support of other related efforts. PGF/ PRD field studies have led to natural history information, genetics research, and population monitoring, all of which has also benefitted the management of golden frogs in captivity (Lindquist, et al., 2007; Zippel et al., 2007).

As the first step, ex situ populations of both golden frog species were established in zoos and aquariums in the U.S. and Canada. To ensure genetic viability, permits were first obtained in 1998 from Autoridad National del Ambiente de Panama (ANAM) to collect and export specimens from unprotected remnant populations outside two national parks where these frogs occur. Since 2001, 20 pairs of adults and more than 70 juvenile golden frogs have been collected and imported under two CITES/ESA permits issued to the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore (formerly the Baltimore Zoo) and the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. As a result of breeding at 10 Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) institutions, including significant successes at the Detroit Zoological Gardens and the two facilities permitted to collect and import the frogs, there are now more than 2,000 captivebred golden frogs in breeding groups at almost 50 institutions in the U.S. and Canada. Breeding recommendations and specimen placement for both species are coordinated by the Population Manager at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. A regional studbook is maintained for three distinct populations of golden frogs to track genetic relatedness. (Due to permit restrictions, individuals of A. zeteki are available only to AZA-accredited institutions.)