Congratulations to Milo Crean who was a winner in the C2K news desk 'Endangered Species' competition. There were great entries from Primary 7, who have been looking at The Rainforest as a topic. Well done Milo!
POISON DART FROGS
Poison Dart Frogs live in rainforests in central and South America. They can be found in trees, and under leaves, rocks and logs on the forest floor. One of the reasons they are quickly becoming extinct is that their habitat is being destroyed (due to deforestation). The people cutting down trees leaves a hot dry terrain, meaning there is no wildlife for the frogs to survive on. I think it is ridiculous to think that these animals (and many others) are being killed just because we need wood. There are other ways of acquiring sustainable sources of wood.
Poison dart frogs survive purely on meat, such as flies, ants, insects, spiders, maggots and termites. It is clear that they are part of a complex food cycle. If we take away the frogs, it could mean that the creatures they eat become out of control. A lot of these frogs get their toxin from eating insects with toxin in their bodies. If another animal ate a poison dart frog, it would become extremely sick (so don’t try it!). This is why they are brightly coloured, to keep other animals well away.
There are many different chemicals used in farming that are also making the poison dart frogs endangered. Some kill insects leaving the frogs without a food supply, while others contaminate bodies of water. They are also carried into the air and are led to places miles away from the farm itself. Some even get to the frogs and totally destroy their immune system leaving them helpless to disease! It is outrageous that farmers are allowed to use things so harmful to creatures and the environment. I suggest we ban such harmful chemicals, although that is easier said than done.
People also illegally smuggle these creatures to other countries, usually hidden inside luggage. It is sad that most frogs die in this process, one of the reasons they are becoming extinct.
