Feature

Pool frogs take a leap forward

By Jim Foster - Conservation Director

ARC’s Conservation Director, Jim Foster, explains how ARC is securing the future of our rarest amphibian thanks to a new government grant.

In November 2020 we were delighted to hear that ARC had secured an award from the government’s Green Recovery Challenge Fund for a project on pool frogs in East Anglia. This project will allow us to enhance the conservation status of the pool frog, which is our rarest amphibian and indeed one of Britain’s scarcest animals. A recent review by ARC has indicated the species should be considered “Critically Endangered” in England, largely as it occurs at just two locations. Both those populations result from translocations undertaken by ARC and partners, after the species had gone extinct in the wild in the 1990s. It is very rare for a vertebrate to be reintroduced after going nationally extinct, and in the case of the pool frog we did this by importing animals from

Sweden. You can read more about the background on our website, here: www.arc-trust.org/pool-frog

The project has three broad strands. Firstly we will consolidate the existing pool frog population through captive rearing of tadpoles, restoring pool frog breeding ponds, and gaining a better handle on the status of those populations through intensive monitoring. Using experience from previous years, our captive rearing aims to take spawn from the wild and rear the resulting tadpoles past the stage where, in the wild, they would suffer high losses from predators. The animals will be released into the wild once they reach a good size, in July and August. We are recruiting a small band of volunteers to help with monitoring the wild populations and rearing tadpoles.

Secondly, the project will bring pool frog conservation to a wider audience. With such a rare and vulnerable animal, we obviously need to be careful about encouraging lots of people to see pool frogs in the wild, as that carries a risk of harm for example through disturbance.

We can, however, raise awareness by other means, so the project involves the creation of professional videos, which we will put on our website. This will allow us to tell a wide range of people about pool frogs without the risk of compromising wild populations. The videos will also be used to train volunteers and professionals in future.

Thirdly, we will be planning for future reintroductions. Clearly with only two locations, the species remains at risk of extinction, and in any case we wish to see pool frogs at a wider range of sites across their former range. Therefore this element of the project will set out where we would like to see future pool frog populations, and will engage with landowners to discuss their willingness to help. We will also scope out how to scale up the production of pool frogs to allow these future reintroductions to take place. That in itself is complex as there are disease risk and management considerations that need resolving, which we will be doing through discussions with experts in translocations and captive management.

Ben King (left) and John Baker (right) surveying for pool frogs. © Jim Foster (ARC).

To achieve all of this we have employed three new members of staff. Emily Jordan, Ben King and John Baker are now working hard on pool frog recovery and I’m delighted to welcome them to ARC. The project will run until March 2022, and we will be working with a range of partners including Norfolk Wildlife Trust, Zoological Society of London, Forestry England and Natural England. The project builds on work we’ve done in recent years which has been funded by organisations including Anglian Water, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Anglian Water Flourishing Environment Fund managed by Cambridgeshire Community Foundation, and Amphibian Ark. ARC would like to thank Defra and National Lottery Heritage Fund for this fantastic opportunity.

Meet the team

Ben King Project Officer

What attracted you to the project?

I am passionate about ex-situ conservation and reintroductions, and this project combines both these interests. It allows me to raise northern pool frogs in captivity to release individuals back to the wild, bolstering their populations, directly conserving and aiding in the recovery of this species. I feel very proud to be a part of it.

Is there a typical day for you as Project Officer?

No, tasks are varied and are constantly changing as the season progresses. They include setting up aquariums, monitoring the reintroduction sites, recruiting and liaising with volunteers and promoting the project through various media outlets (keep your eyes & ears open!)

What do you love the most about pool frogs?

I have always been attracted to smaller, more unusual species but am also incredibly driven to conserve species most at threat. Whilst the challenge is daunting, I also find it incredibly exciting.

Emily Jordan Project Assistant

What attracted you to the project?

I’d heard about the Pool Frog project working with herps and reintroductions previously and was really keen to get involved. I think these kind of programmes are a great way to promote species recovery for wildlife conservation –and of course I love frogs!

Is there a typical day for you as Project Assistant?

I currently help out with the field-monitoring and head-starting aspects of the project. We’ve been busy monitoring amphibian populations at the pool frog sites and preparing the headstarting unit ready to receive pool-frog spawn.

What do you love the most about pool frogs?

They have such an interesting story behind them in terms of the debate as to whether they were native, and the dramatic loss of our wetland habitats. They’re also really beautiful frogs!

ARC’s new animated adder guide

By Mark Barber - Connecting the Dragons Project Officer

As the UK’s only venomous snake adders are often misunderstood. ARC has teamed up with television presenters, and ARC Patrons, Chris Packham and Iolo Williams to create a new fun and informative animated adder guide to help tell the real story of this elusive and endangered reptile.

The adder is facing severe challenges in Britain, it is already thought to have gone extinct in some counties of England and is declining rapidly in Wales and Scotland.

ARC is working locally and nationally, and in conjunction with partners, to try to turn around these declines.

Please help us to save the adder by learning how to stay safe, helping others to understand why adders should be protected and by sending in your adder records to the Record Pool www.recordpool.org.uk.

In ARC’s animated Adder Guide, Adam the Adder (voiced by Iolo and narrated by Chris) tells us some Awesome Adder Facts, when and where you might see an adder and Top Tips to keep people, pets and adders safe. Remember. Keep calm, no harm and #ThinkZigzag! The team have ensured that eighty bilingual weatherproof A4 adder signs have been delivered to partners across Ceredigion,

Pembrokeshire, Swansea, Bridgend and the Vale of Glamorgan. Pull up banners featuring Adam the Adder have also been placed at suitable locations across South Wales. You can watch the video and download the guide and posters from the ARC website www.arc-trust.org/ news/new-animated-adder-guide.

Education

The ARC Adder Guide has been produced by ARC through our Connecting the Dragons project, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and supported by The RS Macdonald Charitable Trust. The animation is by Tim Gent and storyboarding by Bethany Powell. The character and leaflet designed is by Lydia Harris a student at University of South Wales.

The risk of being bitten by an adder is very low, and when it does occur there is effective treatment. Yet understandably many people have questions about the incidence of adder bite, how to treat it, and how to prevent it. In addition, people often enquire about the risk of adder bites to dogs. You can find an advice page with frequently asked questions on our website www.arc-trust.org/facts-andadvice-on-adder-bites.

In addition to this, ARC has also created a free Adder

Photo Library offering online access to a selection of beautiful adder photos, as part of our efforts to try and protect the welfare of this sensitive species by reducing disturbance www.arc-trust.org/free-adder-photolibrary.

Snakes in the Heather - Video lessons & Dates for your diary

By Owain Masters - Public Engagement & Education Officer

Snakes in the Heather, our flagship project to conserve the smooth snake, is now well into its second year. With COVID-19 restrictions easing we have started to plan a number of events to inform, interest and involve local communities in the conservation of heathland species, especially reptiles. We are looking forward to welcoming you to the following events. Heath Week. Saturday 24th July to Friday 30th July: Heath Week is a national celebration of dry lowland heath habitat. ARC will be running a number of events in Dorset to educate people about the importance of the nature of their doorstep and to deliver messages about the countryside code and bylaws. Many of these events will be suitable for families. Full details coming soon.

ARC Children’s Book Launch. Saturday 09th October, Castleview Centre, Corfe: This event will showcase the children’s book, In Search of Old Uncle Blue, which has been produced as part of the project. The event will include a guest reading, an arts and crafts table and a book sale. This event is aimed at families. Full details coming soon.

Photo: Mature male slow worm displaying blue patterning. Could this be Old Uncle Blue? © Chris Dresh (ARC).

Keep an eye on the ARC event pages for full details and please spread the word. www.arc-trust.org/ Pages/Events/Category/events. We hope to see you soon!

At Amphibian and Reptile Conservation we know it is vital to inform, interest and involve the next generation in conservation of wildlife. With this in mind we have produced a series of video lessons for primary school aged children.

The video lessons explain what a reptile is and teach the names of all the wonderful lizards and snakes that live naturally in the UK. They then highlight UK reptiles as examples to revise concepts including habitats, food chains, how and why we group animals together, lifecycles and even why snakes evolved to lose their legs!

They can be found in a playlist here: https://

tinyurl.com/SitHYouTube

Please share the link with any teachers, cub leaders or other grown-ups who look after potential future herpetologists!