El Valle Amphibian Conservation Center (EVACC)

Many environmental biologist contend that the current wide spread species demise is the sixth mass extinction of the planets life forms. Global amphibians have been especially hard hit by an unstoppable fungus called Chyrtid or Bd. Survey samples have yielded only 40 or so of the 68 known frog species that used to inhabit the El Valle micro climate an area known world wide for its amphibian diversity. In an attempt to stave off this impended demise of local and other world wide species the EVACC was devised and spearhead by the Houston Zoo. This global heralded triage model takes infected species from the wild and washes them in a simple anti fugal solution that kills the fungus. It would be impossible to inoculate the infected amphibians in situ, even if a serum was available, to prevent the fungus. Instead over 200 collected varieties of frogs, salamanders, and toads are detoxed by being immersed in a solution of intraconazole once a day for 10 days and then and kept in clean room environment to wait out the plague or until a method of environmentally sound eradication is found.
When the “ark” was first launched volunteers would make nightly forays into the forest to obtain bugs for food. An in-house insect breeding program was developed that makes the supplying the nutritional demands of the residents much easier. Special exhibits relate to the local golden frog, a cultural icon and the republic’s emblematic conservation symbol, are interlaced with some extraordinary examples of Central American amphibians that are sure to astound. The center is a world wide model for cooperation between American universities, zoos and grass roots volunteers.