The Mountain Chicken which is native to Montserrat and Dominica is drawing closer to extinction and scientists are racing to prevent this, says a new report published by The Guardian, UK.
A recent search for Mountain Chickens in Dominica resulted in only 21 of the frogs discovered, which is down from hundreds of thousands since they were first discovered.
The chytrid fungus, hurricanes, and climate change, are being blamed for the rapid loss of the animals in Dominica, which scientists are calling one of the “fastest eradications of a wild animal ever recorded, an ecological calamity that demonstrates how quickly wildlife can be damaged and destroyed.”
Scientists have found that the Dominican frogs had adapted to living with the fungus and it was hoped the lessons learned in Dominica would be able to help revitalize Montserrat’s dwindling population of the frogs which live in our Centre Hills. At last count there were 16 frogs living in an enclosed environment here.
Both islands are part of the Mountain Chicken Recovery Programme, an initiative to save the frog, which was once a delicacy, enjoyed by residents.
