In early October 2024‚ a dozen Loa water frogs made a journey from Santiago to Calama wrapped in damp towels inside temperature-controlled boxes. This move marks the beginning of a plan to bring these critically-endangered amphibians back to their home in a river that flows through the Atacama Desert‚ the worlds driest
The frogs population was almost wiped out about 5 years ago. Water use for mining‚ farming‚ and building‚ made worse by climate change‚ destroyed where they lived. Scientists saved the last few frogs‚ which were sick and underfed. They moved 60 to a safe place and took 14 to Santiagos Parquemet Zoo to help them have babies
At the zoo‚ Osvaldo Cabeza‚ who studies frogs and other reptiles led a breeding program that worked well. They got up to 500 frogs. Now‚ he wants to help put them back in nature. He said‚ “If we dont fix where they live‚ the frogs might die out in the wild and only be in labs“. He thinks different groups need to work together to make the frogs home better
To help with this‚ Codelco (a big copper company run by the government) and the local leaders made the El Loa Biodiversity and Conservation Center in Calama. Francisca Oliva‚ who runs the center‚ said “The frog is tough. Itʼs shown it can handle a lot of bad things. So I think this project will do well“
At the new place‚ scientists want to help the frogs and get them to have more babies. Later‚ they plan to put them back where they used to live. For now‚ the government made a new protected area in Calama. They want to work with companies and people to clean up and protect the damaged habitat
If we do not recover this habitat‚ it is very likely that the frogs will become extinct in the wild and will only exist in laboratories
The government and scientists are hopeful about the frogs future. They believe that with careful planning and teamwork‚ these tough little amphibians can once again thrive in their desert home