Colombian breeds rare frogs to undermine animal traffickers скачать в хорошем качестве

Colombian breeds rare frogs to undermine animal traffickers

(24 May 2019) LEADIN: A Colombian conservationist is breeding native wild frogs hoping to stop demand for illegally captured amphibians in America. The project called Treasures of Colombia is among a handful of animal conservation programs worldwide which aim to cut out trafficking by providing enthusiasts with an  alternative which doesn't prey on the wild population. STORYLINE: In this small farmhouse surrounded by cloud forest, dozens of the world's most extraordinary and coveted tropical frogs are being bred. These beautiful jewel coloured creatures are threatened in the wild by traffickers who can fetch a good price for these unusual amphibians and their numbers are dwindling. This farm is the work of conservationist Ivan Lozano. He's not trying to hunt down poachers and smugglers. He's trying to undermine them by breeding exotic frogs legally and selling them at lower prices than the illegal dealers who pluck wild specimens out of Colombia's jungles. Lozano believes conservationists have to face the fact that in some countries it's legal to own these creatures, but by ensuring they buy animals raised in captivity they can support the wild population. His efforts to replace illegally captured poison dart frogs have made him well known among collectors in the United States, who are now seeking legally traded specimens. "This project was born from the idea of a few conservationists to save some Colombian species. We think it's only way to carry out conservation because the threat is from overexploitation. There are too many frogs being collected for commercial purposes. From our perspective, legally selling animals raised in captivity, and adapted to captivity, is the best way toi displace animas taken from the wild. It's a way to protect the environment and even reintroduce some animals to nature when you need to," says Lozano. Lozano believes he is succeeding. He says: "There's a scientific paper coming out soon that will show that in the U.S., which is the biggest frog market in the world, practically the only poisonous Colombian frogs that are bought come from "Tesoros de Colombia." It means we've eliminated the illegal trafficking of these species in the U.S." Lozano's staff assign ID numbers to his frogs, to make it harder for traffickers to sell wild frogs as frogs bred in captivity. But he has struggled to keep prices low because of the costs associated with securing export permits from the Colombian government. He waited three years to secure his first export permit, exasperating two business partners, who eventually gave up on his venture. Lozano now struggles to keep the breeding centre afloat because he's built up a debt of hundreds of thousands of dollars to keep it going. He's also battled online critics who have tried to undermine his business by spreading rumours on social media that he is illegally exporting frogs. Lozano believes the criticism comes from animal traffickers who would benefit by sinking his breeding project. Workers here don't disclose details of their location for their own safety. Lozano argues some frogs could become extinct if these efforts were to stop. "People in lots of countries fall in love with the frogs as soon as they see a video of them and immediately want to own one. That's what's driving the demand and what has generated so much illegal smuggling over many years," he says. After an assiduous search by customs, it's not long before the precious cargo of rare frogs is on it's way to buyers in New York. Lozano now aims to repopulate some forests with frogs bred in his lab.    Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...