A group of endangered “galaxy frogs” are missing, presumed dead, after trespassing photographers reportedly destroyed their microhabitats for photos.
Melanobatrachus indicus, each the size of a fingertip, is the only species in its family, and lives under logs in the lush rainforest in Kerala, India. Their miraculous spots do not indicate poison, as people sometimes assume, but are thought to be used as a mode of communication, according to Rajkumar K P, a Zoological Society of London fellow and researcher.
In early 2020, he found seven members of the “magical” species in the Western Ghats rainforest in India, but could not visit them during the Covid pandemic. When he went back later, the frogs had disappeared, according to a report from the ZSL.
Photographers are accused of breaking the logs that were home to the frogs. Photograph: Rajkumar K P/Zoological Society of London
“The big beautiful fallen log that was there was completely broken and misplaced,” Rajkumar said. The vegetation was also trampled, and the frogs, whose homes had been destroyed, were nowhere to be found.
At first he suspected brown mongooses of causing the damage, but they are not strong enough to overturn a log. Then he asked his tracker if he had seen anyone.
“He mentioned there were a couple of photographers visiting that location. Several small groups. So later I contacted my other trackers, and they started telling me everything that had happened.”
These nature photographers had been turning over logs in their search for the endangered species, according to the trackers. When they found them, they would capture and prop up the frogs for photos. But they didn’t wear gloves, even though these delicate creatures breathe through their skin and are incredibly sensitive.
One tracker told Rajkumar that two small galaxy frogs had died after being handled for too long by photographers.
“He said they would take the animal to some nice background or mossy log to take the photograph, relocating it from one place to another to get better photos. On that day they got five or six frogs and two of them died.”
The spots on the frogs’ skin are thought to be a mode of communication. Photograph: Rajkumar K P/Zoological Society of London
Searching again and again at the site in the following months, Rajkumar could not find any more galaxy frogs. He felt “helpless” in the face of the injustice.
“The forest department officers try to prevent these kinds of groups coming. But they use higher officials – politicians, high court judges, or something like that – to allow them to take photographs,” he said.
“I fell in love with these frogs after seeing them. You feel like they’re jet black in colour, but when you put them under light you can find all the stars – like galaxies on their bodies. It’s just magical.”
Dr Benjamin Tapley, ZSL’s curator of reptiles and amphibians, said the galaxy frogs are likely an “ancient”, “irreplaceable” branch on the tree of life.
“I grimace every time I see a photo come up on my feed of a galaxy frog,” said Tapley. “I just wonder what happened? How was that taken? How was the habitat impacted?
“We’re really hopeful that we can encourage people to act more ethically so that incredible species like the galaxy frog can continue to thrive for millions more years.”
