Land Management and hunting of the now endangered Mountain Chicken or Crapaud are said to be a major concern of officials in their battle to save the the species.
Luke Harding of the Zoological Society of London, in his presentation on the occasion of the first ever Mountain Chicken Day on Friday, explained that there must be a collaborative effort by all Dominicans to preserve the amphibian.
He said there is a “creep up” in the frog’s population but hunting is a problem. “Over hunting was a problem for the Mountain Chicken and it still remains an issue,” he said. “There are reports of liberal hunting coming back in.”
He stated further that the perception of the Mountain Chicken as a ‘food item’ remains a big threat. “And even now that the population is so low,” he noted. “We still hear rumors, we still have people who see the Mountain Chicken as nothing but food.”
Another problem being faced, according to Harding, is poor land ownership. He noted that many land owners are using pesticides to combat a rise in slug population but it also affects the survival of the Crapaud.
“They may kill the slugs but the biggest problem is they also kill the frogs,” Harding pointed out. “It is a challenge for us because we don’t and can’t really enforce how people manage their land…”
Currently there is an ongoing drive to save the Crapaud which for decades was considered a delicacy and was sought after and savored for its chicken-like flavor.
It was considered Dominica’s unofficial national dish, forms part of the islands Coat-of-Arms and is used as a logo by several very important Dominican institutions, like the National Bank of Dominica.
But disaster struck in 2002 when Dominica experienced the first rapid decline of the amphibian’s population due to arrival on the island, of a deadly fungal disease called the Amphibian Chytrid.
This disease wiped out at least 80 percent of the population within 18 months.
Presently, 11 Crapauds are being housed at the Dominican Mountain Chicken Project breeding facility at the Botanical Gardens.
The Government of Dominica should pass a law making it illegal to hunt the Crapaud until at least the population reaches the level it was in the early days when they were everywhere, the Crapaud is part of Dominica’s heritage and it will be a sad state of affairs if their population is wiped out. People should be educated on the importance of preserving the Crapaud. JMHO.
my god
Anyone foud hunting crapaud should be shot!
Stop killing and eating those frogs, man! Dominica has so much organic foods that can make us well and nourish us with all essential nutrients, that we don’t need to eat any animals as supplements or food.
ppl actually still hunt these things??????? #shame
a man have to come all the way from england to solve our problems.
So why you as a local haven’t started solving the problem?????
:mrgree 8):
Dem man doing a good job. Working hard for a good cause. I used to hunt before the frog sickness, use to have frogs all over de island
Stop de hunting in colihaut. Save the frogs
Yes. Good job guys. What is National Bank Doing. They have the logo.
Just wondering…has the National Bank of Dominica aka “The Crapaud Bank” made any contribution in cash or in kind towards the conservation efforts to save the Mountain Chicken/Crapaud?
Stupppppssssss! Y don’t you try and urge people to stop hunting the crapaud? Better yet! Have u made a contribution?
@ Cataleya …. typical idiotic response to a logical question… guess you may not be aware of the concept of Corporate responsibility.