tagged w/ Tadpole
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Los Angeles Times...
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Amphibian species clings to life
Fewer than 200 mountain yellow-legged frogs are believed to exist. The Station fire [Los Angeles, California] destroyed habitat; now 104 have died mysteriously in a zoo's breeding tanks.
PHOTO:
Authorities are puzzled by the deaths of 104 mountain yellow-legged frogs at the zoo in Fresno.
(Ken Bohn / San Diego Zoo)
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By Louis Sahagun, Los Angeles Times
August 17, 2011
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One of the nation's most ambitious wildlife reintroduction efforts has suffered a setback with the deaths of 104 mountain yellow-legged frogs that had been rescued from the fire-stripped San Gabriel Mountains in 2009, authorities said Tuesday.
The federally endangered frogs, which recently metamorphosed from the tadpole stage, died in captive breeding tanks over the last several weeks at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo.
"We have two frogs left. We're trying to determine exactly what happened," said Scott Barton, director of the zoo, which is highly regarded for amphibian husbandry. "We were thrown a curve ball with a species that was new to us. It's been a humbling experience."
Barton said the facility may "send these two frogs off to see if someone else will have better luck."
The zoos in Fresno, Los Angeles and San Diego are involved in a public-private effort to pave the way for the Rana muscosa population to reestablish residency in Southern California.
For thousands of years, mountain yellow-legged frogs thrived in hundreds of streams cascading down the San Bernardino, San Gabriel and San Jacinto mountains.
Since the 1960s, the species has been decimated by fires, mudslides, pesticides, fungal infections, loss of habitat and the appetites of nonnative trout, bullfrogs and crayfish.
Today, fewer than 200 are believed to exist in nine isolated wild populations, including a group in the San Gabriel Mountains' Devils Canyon that survived the devastating Station fire.
According to U.S. Geological Survey ecologist Adam Backlin, a lead scientist in the recovery effort, "saving the mountain yellow-legged frog from extinction is turning out to be more difficult than anyone anticipated."
The Fresno zoo is not the only facility to have run into problems while trying to spur a jump in the population of the 3-inch amphibians.
Thirty-six tadpoles have not been seen since biologists at the San Diego Zoo's Institute for Conservation Research released them a year ago into a remote San Jacinto Mountain stream from which they had been absent for a decade, zoo officials said.
In 2006, seven mountain yellow-legged frogs — found three years earlier in a shallow pool in the San Bernardino Mountains after a large brush fire — died at the San Diego Zoo. Studies showed those frogs died of the same type of fungal infection that is killing frogs around the world.
The species' minuscule scattered population gives mountain yellow-legged frogs the distinction of being one of the most endangered amphibians on the planet.
"These frogs are very specific in their requirements. What works for one group may not work for another, which is why we have three zoos involved," Backlin said. "The problem is that zoos do not have the space, staff or the funds to keep many of these frogs, which need … almost constant attention.
"This program is still in its infancy," Backlin said. "I have high hopes."
.Los Angeles Times...
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Amphibian species clings to life
Fewer than 200... more
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15th October was the Global Handwashing day but I want to take the chance to bring to people's attention the alarming, dangers of TRICLOSAN.
Every day we wash our hands and use this harmful substance present in all kinds of antibacterial products.
Excerpt:
"Today, the market is dominated by antibacterial hand washes. They make reassuring claims like "kills 99.99999% of germs." Most of them contain a hazardous chemical called Triclosan."
Triclosan is DANGEROUS!
Here's one more excerpt:
"There is a growing body of evidence that suggests that the rampant use of antibacterial soaps not only doesn't make us any healthier, but in fact, may make us worse off. Dr. Stuart Levy is one of the leading researchers on the health effects of using antibacterials (see references 1 and 2 below), and he recommends against their widespread use. And don't forget the environmental effects that persistent and toxic chemicals like Triclosan have.
This is one example of how our current habits can be driven more by the false sense of security the marketing of these products gives us, rather than the real health benefits they deliver."
Two more articles I'd like to quote as well:
"Triclosan, widely used in soaps and toothpastes for its ability to kill bacteria, has been found to hasten the transformation of tadpoles into adult frogs. The new research, "published online September 29 in Aquatic Toxicology , is the first to show that triclosan can act as an endocrine disrupter at concentrations found in North American streams... More than 55% of streams examined in 2002 had a median concentration of 0.14 parts per billion (ppb) (Environ. Sci. Technol. 2002, 36, 2322–2329)". The concern is not just with aquatic life, due to triclosan’s structural similarity to thyroid hormones, which orchestrate growth and development in wildlife and humans."
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/08/cma-calls-for-triclosan-ban.php
"Triclosan is found in a huge number of products, including soaps, toothpastes, cosmetics, laundry detergents, footwear, clothing, toys, facial tissues, adhesives, and pesticides. But you may not know you're even using triclosan because it's marketed under several names, including:
Irgasan DP-300
Lexol 300
Ster-Zac
Cloxifenolum
BioFresh
Microban
About three-quarters of Americans have detectable levels of triclosan in their urine, and people in their 30s and among the highest household income bracket tested for the highest levels of the bactericide. Urine detection isn't necessarily cause for concern--it simply means they body is filtering the product. But other studies show the chemical may not be as harmless as we once thought.
A study of 36 mothers found those who used toothpaste, deodorant or soap containing triclosan had higher levels of the chemical in their breast milk than mothers who did not use personal care products containing triclosan. (The study also analyzed triclosan levels in plasma and found they were higher than those in the milk.) Another study also showed that triclosan lowers body temperature and has a "nonspecific depressant effect on the central nervous system."
And it's not just potentially harmful for humans. Triclosan is highly toxic to some types of algae and Japanese medaka fish (in early life stage), and it bioaccumulates in fish. It also accelerates the rate at which tadpoles grow into frogs, and has been found in the blood of bottlenose dolphins."
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/food-health/overdosing-triclosan.html?campaign=daylife-article
For more info on which products contain this dangerous substance see:
http://drbenkim.com/articles/triclosan-products.htm
I might not argue the use of it in hospitals but not in households.
Take action below and for goodness' sake just try to use simple old fashioned soap instead.15th October was the Global Handwashing day but I want to take the chance to bring to... more
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Researchers at the University of East Anglia have claimed that a compound which gives tadpoles their distinctive markings could help develop effective skin cancer drugs.Researchers at the University of East Anglia have claimed that a compound which gives... more
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ClareW
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added this
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3 years ago
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