Panama Prepares for the Thirteenth Golden Frog Festival

Panama is preparing to celebrate the 13th Golden Frog Festival, which will take place from August 12 to 18 in various parts of the country.  This event, organized by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), seeks to raise awareness about the loss of Panamanian frogs. 

The festival will feature a series of activities and will pay tribute to Lucrecia Arosemena (RIP), whose dedication was crucial in establishing August 14, 2010 as the National Golden Frog Day in Panama.  On August 17 and 18, the event will move to the Science Foundation stand in Panama at the Panama International Book Fair, which will be held at the Atlapa Convention Center from August 13 to 18. 

Despite challenges, golden frog populations are maintained through captive breeding programs in Panama and the United States.  The Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project (PARC), established in 2009, is a collaboration between the New England Zoo, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Houston Zoo, Smithsonian National Zoo, and STRI, aimed at rescuing and establishing sustainable populations of this and other endangered amphibian species. 

The Panamanian golden frog, known for its vibrant yellow and black color, is endemic to the central region of the country, especially in and around El Valle de Antón.  This species, a Panamanian environmental and cultural symbol, was last observed in the wild in 2009.  Its population has declined dramatically due to chytridiomycosis (an infectious disease of amphibians caused by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis), habitat degradation by human activities and capture for the pet trade.

If you visit Bocas del Toro visit Red Frog Beach on Isla Basimentos, which is a ten minute boat ride from Bocas town.  You may just get lucky enough to find a red frog like the one pictured below.  We couldn’t find one on our last trip so we hired a guide to help us locate one.  They are very tiny so if you blink, you might miss one.