An endangered frog from South America with a rather unfortunate nickname has gone on display at Chester Zoo for the first time.
The Lake Titicaca frog – which is named after the lake its naturally found in which straddles the border of Bolivia and Peru at around 12,500 feet above sea level – is the world’s largest aquatic frog, and it spends most its life at the bottom of the lake absorbing oxygen from the water using its saggy folds of excessive skin.
This is why it’s been dubbed the ‘scrotum frog’.
And now, twenty of these rare amphibians are being cared for at Chester Zoo, with experts said to be studying their behaviour to try to gather new insights as part of the latest conservation efforts for the species.
The UK’s largest charity zoo is the first in Europe to give a home to this rare species and has now established a European population by sending 130 other frogs to 13 zoos around the continent to help prevent total extinction of the frog.
The Lake Titicaca frog is named after the lake its naturally found in / Credit: Chester Zoo
A combination of pollution, habitat loss, and hunting has devastated the frog’s wild population.
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They are listed as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with between 50%-80% estimated as having been lost from Lake Titicaca in the last 20 years alone.
In response, nearby researchers set up a rescue centre and began attempts to breed the frogs, before seeking assistance from conservationists at Denver Zoo in America and now, Chester Zoo in the UK.
“To be responsible for setting up the first ever conservation breeding programme in Europe for these fascinating frogs is a real honour for us here at Chester Zoo,” said Dr Gerardo Garcia – Curator of Lower Vertebrates and Invertebrates at Chester Zoo.
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A combination of pollution, habitat loss, and hunting has devastated the frog’s wild population / Credit: Chester Zoo
“We’re very happy that we can now share our efforts to protect these frogs with the wider public, who will most likely be seeing them for the very first time during their visit the zoo [and] what we need to do now is to build on our knowledge of the species and its biology by learning all about their life cycle, mating behaviours, favoured habitat and ability to tolerate or resist a deadly fungus that is wiping out lots of amphibians, called chytrid.
“We can then harness that valuable information for conservation action in the wild.”
Featured Image – Chester Zoo
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Police appeal to find next of kin after man found outside Palace Theatre
Daisy Jackson
Police are trying to track down the family of a man who died after being found unresponsive outside the Palace Theatre in Manchester.
The man, who has now been named as Jonathan Bernard Carroll, was seen outside the city centre theatre at around 6.30am on Tuesday 12 November.
Emergency services rushed to the scene and Mr Carroll was taken to hospital.
Tragically, the 47-year-old passed away a short time later.
A large cordon was in place on Whitworth Street and Oxford Road while police and security attended the incident.
Greater Manchester Police are now appealing to find his next of kin.
It’s believed that he resided in the Salford area of Greater Manchester.
Anyone with any information should contact the Coroner’s Office on 0161 856 1376.
Greater Manchester public urged to help get people ‘off the streets and on their feet’ before Christmas
Emily Sergeant
Locals are being urged to help get hundreds of people “off the streets and back on their feet” this festive season.
As the temperatures told colder by the day, and Christmas creeps closer and closer, Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity is bringing back ‘1000 Beds for Christmas’, and the massively-important initiative is aiming to provide 1,000 nights of accommodation to people at risk of homelessness before the big day arrives.
Forming part of the ongoing ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme, this festive fundraising mission is designed to provide food, shelter, warmth, and dedicated vital wrap-around support for those who need it most.
The charity says it wants to build on the “incredible success of 2023”, which raised more than £55,000 and provided 1,800 nights of accommodation.
Stockport-based property finance specialists, Together – which has supported the campaign for the last two years – has, once again, generously pledged to match every public donation for the first £20,000 raised.
Unfamiliar with the ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme? Since 2017, when rough sleeping peaked, the initiative has helped ensure a significantly-higher rate of reduction in the numbers of people facing a night on streets in Greater Manchester than seen nationally.
The landmark scheme has given people the chance to rebuild their lives, while also giving them access to key services and opportunities that allows them to stay off the streets for good.
Despite the scheme’s recent success, organisations across Greater Manchester are under “a huge amount of pressure” to meet the demand for their services this winter, and given the current economic outlook, household budgets will continue to be squeezed – leaving people on the sharp end of inequality and poverty.
Emily Sergeant -
25th August 2021 
