Back at the end of January, I was bewildered at the fact that 2008 had been declared to be both the Year of the Potato and the Year of the Reef. How could 2008 be both the year of a tuber and the year of a marine ecosystem?
It took me until now, in the middle of March, to discover that 2008 is also supposed to be the Year of the Frog. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums says so. Goodness me, but I know that taters, reefs and amphibians don’t have any common denominators.
One part of my mind rebels, and wants to do away with all of this dueling declaration of the year of the whatever. I’m tempted to declare 2008 to be The Year Of The Year Of – an official year for people to link to whatever pet cause they’re hoping to get some publicity for.
The other part of my mind cares a bit for the little froggies, however, and wants to take a look at what the Association of Zoos and Aquariums has in mind for us to do with 2008, the Year of the Frog.
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums has issued the following list of The Top 8 Ways to Help Frogs in 2008
1. Look, listen, and learn: educate yourself and your family about amphibians.
2. Visit an Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited institutions near you and experience your very own amphibian adventure!
3. Create amphibian friendly environments by providing clean water, hiding places, and insects to eat.
4. Don’t pollute.
5. Be a responsible pet owner.
6. Conserve water at home, school, and work.
7. Reduce the use of fossil fuels, such as oil, coal and natural gas.
8. Be an amphibian champion.
Numbers 4, 6, and 7 I can put my complete support behind. The rest confuse me.
Let’s start with number one. How does it help frogs if my family is educated about amphibians? I could be very well educated about the dodo and still eat one… well, if they weren’t all dead. You get my point, though.
Then there’s number two. How I am I helping frogs by going to a place that keeps them captive in little terrariums? Besides that, what does it matter if I have an amphibian adventure at a place that’s accredited with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums? Will I help frogs less with an amphibian adventure at a non-accredited institution? Is the lack of accreditation one of the major international threats to frogs?
Number three has got me stumped. How does it help frogs if I give people places to hide, and make them eat bugs?
Number five also had me confused, until I looked at the longer explanation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums: “Discourage your canine and feline family members from pestering wildlife, especially amphibians and birds. Curious cats and digging dogs cause a lot of stress for frightened amphibians. If you or your pet encounter an amphibian, study, look, listen, and then leave it where it is.” Dear me. Now I’m all confused again. Exactly how am I supposed to discourage my cat from pestering wildlife? Hypnotherapy? Is it okay for me to have my dog go look at frogs, study them, and run around listening to them?
Finally, there’s number 8: “Be an amphibian champion”. No thanks. I like being a mammal.
It’s not that I’m against amphibian conservation. I’ll happily direct people to the Amphibian Conservation Alliance, AmphibiaWeb, and HerpetoFauna, the home of the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Journal.
I have to note, though, that none of these organizations seems to be aware that 2008 is the Year of the Frog. What’s the point of grabbing a whole year, and declaring it to be dedicated to your favorite cause, if you don’t even let other related groups know about it?
