Conservation suffers as zoos forced to cut back due to Covid-19
The Zoological Society of London gets 40% of its annual income from ticket sales, and most of its money goes to scientific research and field-based conservation and caring for its 20,000 animals
New York — The Togo slippery frog lives amid the waterfalls and forests of eastern Ghana. Just 7.5cm long in adulthood, with skin the colour of glistening mud, its nondescript appearance belies a fascinating history. It belongs to a family of frogs that dates back 70-million years to the late Cretaceous period, when dinosaurs still roamed the earth. Hunted for its meat so relentlessly over the past 5,000 years that for decades it was feared to be extinct, today it’s one of the most endangered amphibians on the planet.
Alongside more than 100 other species in 50 countries around the world, the Togo slippery frog is protected by Edge of Existence, which stands for “Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered” and is funded by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL). Edge is the only global initiative of its kind, training early-career conservationists and emphasising local ownership of habitat protection — and ZSL, in turn, is one of the world’s first and most iconic zoologic...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.