The frog you see above is one of the most striking amphibians that exist, so how can you not stop to take a photo of it if you find it in your path? Well, in practice it is difficult for you to come across one if you live in Madrid, London or New York because this frog that looks like it’s from another galaxy is native from a very specific place in India: the evergreen forests of the Western Ghats mountain range, at an altitude of between 900 to 1,200 meters.
So if the mountain does not go to Muhammad, Muhammad goes to the mountain: just as there are those who leave to Mexico to swim with wild orcasthere are people who prepare a getaway on their own to immortalize the galaxy frog, which is its name. These unregulated photographic excursions are already taking their toll: an entire group of specimens has disappeared from the rainforest.
As you can deduce from the photograph of the galaxy frog, it gets its name from its cosmic appearance, with a black background and little black spots that look like stars. It is not an appearance that goes unnoticed, but between the fact that it is similar in size to the tip of a finger and that they hide in small spaces such as cracks under rocks, fallen leaves and decaying trees, It is not easy to see them with the naked eye..
Going to photograph an endangered species is not the best thing for the species. Handle it carelessly, either
And it is not easy to see them simply because they are disappearing from the face of the Earth: galaxy frogs have a conservation status classified as “threatened” that is getting worse, according to this study published in Herpetology Notes.In the paper They point directly to one of the main culprits: uncontrolled photographic outings, insofar as they cause alterations and changes in behavior that have an impact on the feeding and reproduction of the frogs.
The study’s research team, led by Rajkumar K. P, a scientist at the Zoological Society of London, has been monitoring that area of the jungle since 2019, which has allowed them to follow the population of the Melanobatrachus indicus (its scientific name) over time. Back in 2020 they discovered a group of seven galaxy frogs hidden under some logs.
Via: Drjpmenon
When they returned to the area after COVID-19, they found that this group had disappeared. So, all the alarms went off: What had happened to that group of frogs? Well, two summers where different groups of photographers came en masse, trampling the area and moving the logs looking for: 1. the frogs. 2. get the perfect composition to take the ideal photo.
As the investigation states: “The photographers knew the microhabitat of the species through publications and local trackers and moved numerous logs while searching for the frogs.” The researchers are aware of groups of up to six photographers who came to the place eager to photograph the frogs. And not only that, they often moved the specimens to place them on moss or logs, so that they could take a photo with a more attractive background.
For frogs, it not only involves the presence of man or undergoing changes in their location and that of the elements where they hide and find food, but also enduring repeated manipulations and powerful camera flashes to illuminate the scene for hours. Touching such a sensitive wild animal without biosafety protocols is not a good idea: stress, heat, potential illnesses… are some of the conditions they suffered, such as pick up the paper. One of the trackers assured the researchers that two small frogs perished during the sessions, although the scientists could not verify this.
The investigation concludes with a series of good practicesa measure that researchers say should be established in the form of ethical standards for nature and conservation photography. This is not a study against natural photography, since as Rajkumar explains, done correctly it can be the best ally:
“It’s a huge resource to help conservationists better understand things like animal distribution and behavior, and the resulting images can educate others about these incredible species. (…) However, irresponsible photography can turn that resource into a danger.”
Rajkumar takes this sad episode as an example as “a strong warning about the consequences of unregulated photography” but that without careful and responsible management “we run the risk of disappear from the planet forever“.
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Cover | Davidvraju
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