Frog Saunas

We were delighted to find an enthusiastic crowd of "frog lovers" gathered on a windless, sunny day at the Wildbark sanctuary to hear our speaker Dr. Anthony Waddle speak of his groundbreaking research that has resulted in genuine hope for the survival of frog populations around the world. These frogs may have previously died from the impact of the deadly Cytrid fungus.

The researchers, led by Dr. Waddle, developed an effective and inexpensive strategy to combat Chytrid by providing the frogs with a heated environment (Hot Spot shelters) that stimulate resistance to the fungus and allows the frogs to recover. And it looks adorable too!

Photo: Anthony Waddle

The hotspot heated frog Saunas in Sydney reserves and backyards will now be residing in ACT backyards thanks to the tuition of Dr. Waddle. On the shore of the beautiful Wildbark upper pond Dr. Waddle demonstrated the construction of his frog saunas and instructed us as to where and when to locate them in our gardens. Dr. Waddle is hopeful we can provide data on the number and type of frogs using our homemade saunas directly to him. If you missed his talk and want to participate, you can find information online by googling his name.

In addition we were fortunate to have as an event collaborator, our very own local frog hero, Anke Maria Hoefer, the coordinator of FrogWatch Ginninderra, to give us tips on bringing frogs into our gardens.

Read more on frog saunas and Dr Waddles research here