Dr. Kerry Kriger, Founder of Save the Frogs – E59
Dr. Kerry Kriger of Save The Frogs discusses why frogs and other amphibian are rapidly disappearing. Nearly one-third of the world’s amphibian species are on the verge of extinction. Up to 200 species have completely disappeared since 1979. Frogs and other amphibians face an array of threats from climate change to habitat destruction; pesticide use; over-collection for frog legs and dissections; invasive species; and infectious diseased spread by human activity. Dr. Kriger talks about the widely used pesticide, Atrazine. This harmful pesticide turns male frogs into females at concentrations as low as 2.5 parts per billion. Atrazine causes cancer in laboratory mammals and developmental problems in fish. Atrazine is the most commonly detected pesticide in rainwater, groundwater and tapwater in the USA. Abundant scientific evidence shows that this harmful herbicide can wreak havoc on a variety of wildlife species, at concentrations as low as 2.5 parts per billion. It is unfathomable to allow the use of a chemical that can so easily turn male frogs into females, as has been shown to be the case with Atrazine.
Dr. Kriger is a leading expert on the amphibian disease, Chytridiomycosis. The Chytrid Fungus has caused amphibian population declines in Australia, South America, North America, Central America, New Zealand, Europe, and Africa, and is likely responsible for over 100 species extinctions since the 1970’s.
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