10,000 Critically Endangered Frogs Have Suddenly Died In Peru's Lake Titicaca

Peruvian authorities are investigating the deaths of over 10,000 critically endangered frogs in Lake Titicaca. The cause of the Titicaca water frog massacre remains a mystery, though local activists have said water pollution and government negligence are to blame. The creature, also known as the Titicaca scrotum frog because of the folds in its skin, is endemic to the large freshwater lake that spans from Peru to Bolivia. Once common in the area, the frog has been driven to near-extinction in recent decades by habitat degradation and harvesting for human consumption. Since 1990, the frogs’ population has declined more than 80 percent, the International Union for Conservation of Nature said. In recent years, the frog has faced a new threat. Polluted waters are killing the amphibious animal by the thousands, activists say. More than 10,000 frogs across a 30-mile area around Lake Titicaca have recently turned up dead, according to Peru’s National Forestry and Wildlife Service. The agency said it was investigating the mystery deaths. It’s specifically looking into claims of pollution. “Solid waste and sludge” have been found around the lake, authorities said. Poor sewage treatment and management around the Lake Titicaca area has caused severe pollution in the region’s waterways, according to activists. The Committee Against the Pollution of the Coata River held a protest in the regional capital of Puno this month to draw attent...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news