Amphibian and Reptile Health and Disease
There is growing concern surrounding the threats posed by infectious disease to wildlife. A great deal of research is being done to discover more about the different problems amphibians and reptiles face in order to understand what can be done to help them.
Froglife has been working on the issue of amphibian disease in the UK for over 25 years and we are excited to be working with a number of partners on projects mapping and researching wildlife disease.
There are a number of possible causes of wildlife deaths, including disease. You can find out more in our FAQ section.
The Garden Wildlife Health Project
Garden Wildlife Health (GWH) is a collaborative project between the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and Froglife which aims to monitor the health of, and identify disease threats to, British wildlife. Our particular focus is on garden birds, amphibians, reptiles and hedgehogs. For this we count on the help of the public to submit reports of sick or dead wildlife.
The only way to find out what has caused an animal to die is through a post mortem, and the project can help arrange submission of specimens to the vets at the Institute of Zoology for analysis. If you find dead amphibians or reptiles, please consider being part of this important citizen science project to map and find out more about the threats faced by our garden wildlife.
If you see any of the following please report to Garden Wildlife Health:
- If you find any dead amphibians or reptiles (and hedgehogs and birds), even if they appear to have died naturally.
- If you see any of the above animals that appear to be unwell and suffering from disease.
- Animals that have been predated on by other creatures (such as cats) or persecuted (deliberately killed by people) may also have been suffering from disease, so all specimens are of interest.
- This project is not just for garden wildlife – if you find dead or diseased animals while out and about in parks and nature reserves, please report them to the project as well.
Follow the links to find out more about our work, the threats to our native species and how you can be part of this crucial ongoing research.
Find out more about amphibian diseases:
- Ranavirus (red-leg)
- Chytrid fungus
- View our Garden Wildlife Health Facebook gallery (you can also send in your own images)
Although diseases can be a real tragedy for the wildlife in your garden, there is also the opportunity to gain some knowledge from your experience that can help inform future conservation work by taking part in the Garden Wildlife Health project.