Endangered frogs die at Wild Animal Park

By: QUINN EASTMAN - Staff Writer | Wednesday, April 26, 2006 10:54 PM PDT ∞

SAN PASQUAL VALLEY ---- The seven mountain yellow-legged frogs at the San Diego Wild Animal Park's conservation center have died in the last month, the park announced Wednesday.

Researchers at the park wanted to build up a breeding population to help the endangered species bounce back after almost being wiped out by the 2003 Old fire in San Bernardino County.

Although the frogs were under quarantine and some were recovering from a fungus that hurts their skin, they didn't die from the "chytrid" fungus. Early indications are that a bacterium related to tuberculosis played a role in their deaths, zoo spokesman Andrew Circo said.

Biologists from the U.S. Geological Survey rescued the six males and one female as adolescents from a temporary pool near City Creek in the San Bernardino National Forest, just after the 2003 fires, before winter rains choked up the pool with ash and mud.

Mountain yellow-legged frogs live in the San Bernardino, San Gabriel and San Jacinto mountains. They lived around Palomar Mountain until the 1970s, but haven't been seen in recent years. A related, but genetically distinct population of frog, lives in the Sierra Nevada.

The frogs can be up to 3 1/2 inches long and make a peep-peep sound.

Scientists say that the frogs are under attack both by rainbow trout stocked in streams and the chytrid fungus, which is hurting many frog species worldwide.

Adam Backlin, an ecologist with the Geological Survey, estimated that fewer than 300 adult yellow-legged frogs were living around Southern California. He said federal and state wildlife agencies would continue working on a recovery program for the yellow-legged frog.

"By no means has that process stopped," he said.

Contact staff writer Quinn Eastman at (760) 740-5412 or qeastman@nctimes.com.

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