Endangered Caribbean ‘Mountain Chickens’ Give Birth

Six froglets of one of the world’s most threatened frog species have been born at London Zoo. “We’re celebrating a conservation success after two Critically Endangered Mountain Chicken frogs, bred for the first time in five years in their brand-new custom-built home,” the zoo announced. According to the zoo, the six-inch-long froglets have some growing to reach the size of the enormous adults and will play a key role in bringing the species back from extinction. With a mere twenty frogs left in the wild, the situation for the species became alarmingly critical, underscoring the importance of conservation efforts. The creatures are a delicacy, can reach up to two pounds, and supposedly taste like chicken, hence the Mountain Chicken label. The frogs were once widespread until a killer fungus ravaged them on the islands of Montserrat and Dominica, wiping out an estimated ninety percent of the population of the creatures. On its official website, the London Zoo recalled that in 2009, conservationists and other European zoos airlifted the last few Mountain Chicken frogs to safety in a ‘last ditch effort’ to save the species from extinction. Dedicated facilities were built and a coordinated breeding programme was established for the species....