Junior Bushcare Session #5 - 6th July 2026
In this session we plan to install a "Frog Sauna" down by the "pond"
7/5/20261 min read
All over the world, frogs are being wiped out by the chytrid fungus. At least 500 species have declined, including as many as 90 species now presumed extinct.
This catastrophic and ongoing biodiversity loss surpasses the devastation wrought by other notorious invasive species such as cats, rats and even cane toads. Short of removing species from the wild and treating them in captivity, few strategies exist to deal with the chytrid threat.
Outbreaks of chytrid (pronounced “KY-trid”) are more common in cold winter months – just like seasonal human flu. We found a way to combat these winter outbreaks using heat. Our purpose-built “frog saunas” allow affected amphibians to warm up and bake off their infections. They are so simple you can build a frog sauna using supplies from the hardware store.
Scientists have discovered that providing a warm place for frogs to hide during colder weather helps to stop them getting sick from chytrid so we plan to install one in Whites Hill by the pond with our Junior Bushcare team.