Panama - Hike Though the Hills

The Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project expedition, including the five person team from Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, has been in Panama for slightly less than a week. We have heard from Bob Chastain, CMZoo president and team member, that they made it out of the jungle last evening, finishing an eight hour hike in about five hours, arriving back just before nightfall. It was a strenuous hike with mile after mile of steep sloped trail and lots of mud. The team was exhausted after the hike out, and exhaustion took over, as seen in this photograph of CMZoo’s Director of Conservation, Dr. Della Garelle.


This morning found everyone enjoying the amazing scenery and the wonderful hotel, and Bob was attempting to dry out some clothes so that “my bag smells less.” Maybe too much information, but a testament to the rough and tumble conditions they endured while collecting frogs in the ultra-remote Cerro Brewster locale in Panama’s forest jungle.


As we wait for full details, Bob has sent word that two of the frogs saved by the group from the grip of the chytrid fungus on their trip where the Atelopus limosus and the Hyloscirtus colymba. The status in the wild for the Atelopus limosus is endangered; due to limited distribution in severely fragmented forests. As a lowland species, it is probably less vulnerable to chytrid fungus than its highland counterparts where Chytrid is more prevalent, but it is still vulnerable to the fungus. The status in the wild of the Hyloscirtus colymba is critically endangered: due to projected populations declines greater than 80% in three generations. This species has disappeared from western Panama.

Atelopus limosus


Hyloscirtus colymba

Once these frogs are taken to the holding facility at the Summit Zoo in Panama City, they will wait as we work to find a cure for the chytrid fungus. But where specifically will they wait? There is a converted shipping container, as you see on the enormous sea-going barge, that will be the holding facility. The container, immense by frog or human standards, has been outfitted with ventilation systems and holding tanks that will be the homes for the rescued species. As you can see, there is room for a considerable number of amphibians. Subsequent rescue trips into the Panamanian rainforest will bring back more of these endangered species.


We are now waiting to hear more from the Panama rescue group, details of their expedition and photographic evidence of what the did in saving these frogs and how they achieved that.

As we receive Bob’s onsite blog entries, we will pass them along to you in this forum. We’ll start with Day One, back on November 13, and go day-by-day as he relates the work that they did in Panama. Stay tuned.

Panama - Expedition Team Out of Reach

Panamanian Golden Frog
Photo Credit: Joel Sartore

With the Amphibian Rescue team out of ear shot without cell service in the middle of the Panamanian rainforest (go figure!), we here back at the Zoo can only go by the written schedule we’ve been given on their comings and goings.

This is Day Three of the efforts to collect frogs around the Cerro Brewster camp, swab them for chytrid fungus and put them in safe keeping for the trip back to Panama City and the Summit Zoo. We haven’t spoken much about where our team is staying while on the mountainous slopes around Cerro Brewster.

There is a structure there, the empty work house, where all of the partners on the mission can store their gear and keep the equipment needed to go out “a-froggin’” in the evening hours. Our team plans to string hammocks up outside and sleep (when they can steal a few winks during the day), swinging above the porch. We are all anxious to see photographic evidence of this, if anyone is awake long enough to snap a few shots. We will see at the end of the week when news, photographs and video start trickling back to us from our re-connected team. Stay tuned for that.

These photos of the work house at Cerro Brewster were taken in July of this year, right after a reconstruction project was completed.



In all likelihood, the Rescue Team will not be seeing the national symbol of Panama in the forests around Cerro Brewster, the Panamanian Golden Frog. As our partner in Panama with us from National Zoo, Brian Gratwicke writes:

“If we keep an open eye in Panama and we might just see a Panamanian Golden Frog. Local legend used to promise luck to anyone who spotted the frog in the wild and that when the frog died, it would turn into a gold talisman, known as a huaca. Nowadays, you’ll see the frogs on decorative cloth molas made by the Kuna Indians, on T-shirts, as inlaid design on a new overpass in Panama City and even on lottery tickets. In the market at El Valle de Antòn, you will see them by the thousands either as enamel-painted terracotta or on hand-carved tagua nuts. The one place you probably won’t see a Panamanian Golden Frog, however, is in their native home—the crystal clear streams of the ancient volcanic crater of El Valle de Antòn. In the mountain forests you may spot other similar-looking extant species such as Atelopus varius, but the only local and true Panamanian Golden Frogs Atelopus zeteki are those breeding in captivity at the El Valle Amphibian Conservation Center (EVACC) at the El Nispero Zoo.”

Tragic, but true.

Frog Finders

Hemiphractus fasciatus banded horned treefrog – Panama
Photo Credit: Ron Holt, Atlanta Botanical Garden

In response to a supporter’s inquiry about a map showing the location of our team’s expedition in Panama, we wanted to provide this map:


View Larger Map

Additionally, here are some helpful links for those who want to know more about the amphibian crisis:
• Africam Safari
• Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
• Defenders of Wildlife
• Houston Zoo
• Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
• Smithsonian's National Zoological Park
• Summit Municipal Parque
• Zoo New England • Amphibian Rescue


We leave you today with the first in the “Frog Finders” cartoon series drawn by popular cartoonist and artist, Sandy Carmical. This series was drawn in dedication to the Zoo’s Panamanian Frog Rescue expedition. Watch for more coming soon. And a big Thank You to Sandy for the great cartoon!

Panama - Cerro de Campo

This morning we got up after spending the night in Cerro de Campo. After an exotic breakfast we started loading two trucks from STRI (Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute) full of our gear. We had to pull tarps over everything due to the rainy season weather here in Panama. Everything is getting wet in this rain.

We loaded up and drove off to meet up with the pack horses that would take our gear and provisions on our hike into the jungle. A six hour hike, at that! The camp for the pack horses was shrouded in misty fog, just another way to stay wet down here!

We will set out for Cerro Brewster soon, and our ultimate goal of collecting frogs starting Monday morning. I’m not sure if I explained the collection process, so here’s a quick version. The collections will take place from dusk (right after sundown) to dawn. We will wear our rain gear and be equipped with headlamps to help us find the elusive frogs in the dark. As I have said before, it’s a frustration to be able to hear the frogs all around you, but not see any of them. This will be an intense search in the wet darkness…wish us luck.

Once we find a frog we will swab it to prevent its getting the chytrid fungus, check its species type and gender, and add it to the rescue collection. Sounds simple, but add variables like a thick rainforest, tropical rain and steep slippery slopes of Panamanian mountains and you have a challenge. But we are up to that challenge.

We will soon be out of communication range to check in with you and our CMZoo colleagues, but they have a list of what is scheduled for us in the next few days, so keep checking back for information on this historic trip on this blog. We’ve also sent many photos that they will share with you in the next few days. As soon as we are back in range of cell service, we’ll be in touch.

Panama - Packed

"We've packed our provisions and gear in vehicles and we're setting off to meet our pack horses. We'll have a six hour hike into Cerro Brewster and then set-up camp. It's the rainy season in Panama so we have to protect everything from the rain. We'll be using many tarps during our trip."
-Bob

Panama Travel Journal - Day 2

-By Bob Chastain


Since we last talked I had a rough nights’ sleep in a very nice hotel on the edge of the Panama Canal. The Country Inn is like every modern hotel except the floors are all tile in the rooms and the continental breakfast is exotic and amazing, compared to the States. We met Matt Evans from the National Zoo this morning. Matt is a young 30-something with great enthusiasm for all things slithery and slimy. His big wish for this trip is to see some more of a snail-eating snake. It’s a snake who’s nose is shaped like a spoon, so as to be able to eat every tiny morsel of snail part.

Today is a staging day. After this entry we will go to the market to look for crafts, go have lunch with Adrian Benedetti. Adrian is a young and handsome man who was the Director of the Summit Zoo, the facility that will house our frogs here upon our return. Adrian is now what you can think of as the director in charge of all national parks, all wildlife and all forestry lands in Panama. After lunch and a little tour, we will go to the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) and pick up our gear for the drive to Cerro Azul.

When I last left you, I told you to take this week to look around. Here is my “saw it” list for the day. Brown Pelican, Great Egret, Whimbrel, male and female Great-Tailed Grackle.

Panama Travel Journal - Day 1

-By Bob Chastain


As we flew low out of Houston, I had not yet fully realized what it was we were about to do. Looking down over the city it was a site I had seen many times. Not Houston, for I have only seen it only a hand full of times from the air, but civilization. Roads, bridges, ball parks, golf courses and much more. Every city has these elements that make up its fabric. One thing they all have in common though is people. Every time I look down out of an airplane I see life, but no people. Not because they are not there, but because they are too small. I see cars move, boats move, golf courses and busy roadways. Each time think about the people and wonder what they are doing, totally unaware that I am watching them from above.

Today I think they would be happy if they knew what we were doing. I don’t yet know if they would care about the frogs, but I know that they like the thought of frogs. I know they like the thought of a jungle, the thought of adventure and the thought that someone out there is looking out for all those things. Frogs, such tiny creatures that if we we’re all honest, we all love. Sometimes we don’t think about them, but when we do, we love them. In my heart, in a special place, that I am not ready to share yet, I have waited my whole life for this trip. Somewhere in Panama right now there is a frog, lets call him Bob. Bob’s life is normal now. He has little knowledge that a deadly fungus has been creeping in on him for years. Slowly making its way up the coast of South America and down the narrow track of land from Mexico, through Costa Rica and now into Panama. More than likely Bob and everyone he knows will be dead in less than five years. At the rate in which the chytrid fungus moves, it could be as little as one and no more than five years before it reaches his home in Cerro Brewster. When it does reach his home, past research shows that it will be devastating. Extensive studies by Karen Lips shows what happened to a population of frogs within a few months of the arrival of the chytrid fungus not far from here. Before this happens though we will collect Bob, and make sure he and a few of his kind live until we find a cure for the killing fungus. People around the world will fall in love with him. We will tell his story and the story of his kind and as with the story of the princess, we will fall in love with frogs all over again.

For those of you that will now follow our journey through this blog I think some introductions are in order. On the trip are Kevin and Jamie Kratt. Kevin was Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s board chair for the past two years and has supported this project from the very start. A passionate person, who loves life, his family and the pursuit of all things excellent. Jamie, his wife, has also been in love with this project and the thought of Bob the frog since the beginning. She, too, wondered what the first frog capture would be like and set her heart toward saving frogs from the first day she heard about this project. She brought frogs to a black tie Zoo event called Zoo Ball this past spring. That takes guts because frogs and ball gowns rarely go hand in hand.

Dr. Della Garelle is the Director of Conservation and Animal Health at the Zoo. She is now doing what she always dreamed she would do. As a Cornell trained veterinarian she has spent her whole adult life using her veterinarian skills to save wild life. Like many smart people her job more often is in the office arranging the saving of wildlife than in the field saving wildlife. It has been over 15 years since she has been in the jungles doing field work. As of late, most of her field work is in the high deserts and plains working with such species as black-footed ferrets and Wyoming toads.

Dr. Mark Kombert is our head vet. All day to day care of the zoo animals is done by Mark. Mark is a gentle man with a calm and free spirit. He worked at our Zoo years ago, when I was the Horticulture Curator, before going to spend several years in England with his family. He has recently returned to the zoo and it’s as if he never left. As for me, I am a cheerleader. An encourager. A dreamer. The others have brought me along for the ride and more then likely to make fun of me. I just seem to be that kind of person. The, along with the people back at the zoo, do all the work while I get to speak for you and all those people on the Houston highways. The same people on the highways of Colorado Springs. The people that teach our kids, run our parks, pick up our trash, heal us when we are sick, keep our books, cut our hair, run our business and protect our world. Those people who want to know that someone out there is doing something for all the creatures they love, but sometimes they forget to think about. Life is just plain busy. Just once, just this week, while we are gone and you read along…slow down, look around and know we are working for you. Working to save the animals you see everyday. If it has been a while since you have looked around to see them, do that this week and I will do the same.
-Bob

Panama - The Journey Begins

(The expedition team: Kevin and Jaime Kratt, Dr. Della Garelle, Bob Chastain, Dr. Mark Kombert)

Bags have been packed and our five intrepid travelers and heroes to amphibians are making their way to the jungles of Panama as we speak!

Into the Jungle

Our Cheyenne Mountain Zoo team Zoo leaves for the jungles of Panama today, with the goal of rescuing tiny frogs from a colossal threat.

The deadly chytrid fungus has extinguished amphibian populations around the globe. The team of five will travel to a small section of Panamanian rainforest untouched by the quickly spreading fungus.

Bob Chastain, zoo president and CEO, will lead the group on the weeklong expedition, which will also include representatives from other organizations in the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project. The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is a founding member of the project, formed in spring and made up of eight zoos and research institutions.

The expedition is the first “on-the-ground phase” for the rescue effort. Once in Panama, the group will hike into the jungle for nearly six hours, and then spend four days collecting a variety of frog species for a captive breeding program. The ultimate goal: Find a broad cure for the chytrid fungus and reintroduce the protected species back into the wild.

Together with our friends and supporters, we wish Bob and his team the best of luck in this global fight to save these endangered frogs!

Be sure to follow the journey here and on Facebook where you can read daily posts and see pictures of the team’s trek through the rainforest. Bob will update us all via tweets from the rainforest!

Host a WILD holiday party this year!

Chef Beau of Wild Things Catering

Looking for a cool venue to host your holiday party? Look no further! Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has several unique venue options on site including the Mountaineer Sky Ride Summit, Safari Lodge and Lodge at Moose Lake.

Wildthings Catering, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo's official caterer, can do all the planning for you! An expert catering staff can create the perfect menu and arrange any rentals you may need.

For more information, please call our Catering Manager at 719.314.0970 or e-mail Wildthings Catering at catering@cmzoo.org

Here’s just one of Chef Beau’s fantastic recipes to get you thinking about creative holiday menus. This delicacy was prepared two weeks ago at the March of Dimes fundraising event:


Petite Duck BLT with Roasted Yellow Bell Pepper Aoli

Makes 20 bite size appetizers


2 duck breasts boneless skin on
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup kosher salt
1 tablespoon coarse ground black pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 cup mayonnaise
4-6 cloves of garlic peeled
6 slices of bread of your choice (I like to use old school white bread) crust removed
Heirloom plum tomatoes, red plum tomatoes or tomato of your liking
Olive Oil
Sprouts of micro-greens of your choice
Salt/pepper

Duck Bacon
Mix brown sugar & salt, put ½ mixture into small sealable container. Put duck breasts on top of mix with remaining ½ mix coating duck breasts completely. Seal & store overnight in refrigeration for 12 -24 hours.
Remove from salt & sugar mix …rinse. Air dry at room temperature for 30 minutes. Pepper both sides of breasts.
Smoke with hickory chips at 200 for 1.5-3 hours. If you cannot smoke on grill outside, put in oven at 200 degrees for 1 hour.
Let cool, slice thinly widthwise.

Aoli
Roast one whole yellow bell pepper in oven at 500 degrees until skin is blistered and black. Remove pepper from oven & place in small bowl with a couple ice cubes and cover with plastic wrap for three minutes. Peel skin from pepper, rise & remove seeds, stem and veins from pepper, slice thinly & reserve.
In small sauté pan dry roast 4-6 cloves of garlic at medium –high heat until dark brown or blackened and tender. Let cool & reserve.
In a food processor or blender add 1 cup mayo, the sliced roasted bell pepper & sautéed garlic. Puree, add salt & pepper to taste.

Toast
Cut desired sandwich bread with crust removed into fourths, brush baking sheet with olive oil, place slices on sheet then drizzle tops of bread with olive oil.
Bake at 400 until desired color. Let cool to room temperature.

To assemble BLT’s
Place 1-2 slices of duck bacon on baked toast bites, three thin slices tomato fanned out on top of bacon then add a small amount of sprouts or micro-greens to top it all off. We like to serve our appetizers off simple white platters to make a beautiful presentation. Take it up a notch by serving on sheets of thick glass or framed glass raised with vases filled with your choice of creative ideas! Enjoy!