IN THE WILD
H OT T U BS FO R S I C K FR OGS
P R O J EC T C OORDI N ATO R FO R THE MO UNTAIN CH IC K EN REC OVERY P R O G RAMME LUKE JO NE S T E L L S US ABOU T HI S WO RK RE TURNING THE S E CR IT IC A L LY EN DA NG E RE D FR O G S TO MO NTS E RR AT . The mountain chicken frog is native only to the Caribbean islands of Dominica and Montserrat. The species was driven to the brink of extinction by a deadly microscopic fungus called chytrid, which is believed to be the cause of over 500 documented extinctions and declines of amphibians worldwide. Luke is part of a team looking to re-establish the frogs on Montserrat and protect them from the fungus by manipulating the environment in semi-wild enclosures. Earlier this year, 27 captive-bred mountain chickens arrived in Montserrat from Jersey Zoo and ZSL London Zoo and were released into the enclosures. The success of this project will see the establishment of the first breeding population of mountain chickens on Montserrat in 10 years.
