A group of endangered “galaxy frogs” are missing, presumed dead, after trespassing photographers reportedly destroyed their microhabitats for photos.
In early 2020, he found seven members of the “magical” species in the Western Ghats rainforest in India, but could not visit them during the Covid pandemic. When he went back later, the frogs had disappeared, according to a report from the ZSL.
At first he suspected brown mongooses of causing the damage, but they are not strong enough to overturn a log. Then he asked his tracker if he had seen anyone.
These nature photographers had been turning over logs in their search for the endangered species, according to the trackers. When they found them, they would capture and prop up the frogs for photos. But they didn’t wear gloves, even though these delicate creatures breathe through their skin and are incredibly sensitive.
“We’re really hopeful that we can encourage people to act more ethically so that incredible species like the galaxy frog can continue to thrive for millions more years.”
Caves are another great example! Being near the Appalachians, I’ve been to a bunch and there’s always a part of the tour that shows where people used to just bust off stuff for souvenirs, touch stuff and mess up the continued growth of the cave, burn marks from fires, etc. People just don’t seem to consider then accumulated impact of everyone using through doing the same exact thing.
You’re in a cave for crying out loud! You can’t get much more exemplary of how small actions of time cause significant change even to solid rock!