How We Function

We are a non-profit association which has recently become a DGR (Deductable Gift Recipient). We are tax exempt (ITEC), registered for GST, and we have an ABN. The name of our group is the Frog Decline Reversal Project, Inc. (or FDR Project, for short) and our rescue and care centre is known as the Cairns Frog Hospital.

The Cairns Frog Hospital provides care for sick and injured frogs so that they can return to the wild and continue adding offspring to local populations. We also take in translocated frogs which arrive hidden in fruit and vegetable shipments and we ask people to turn over any sick or deformed cane toads they find.

Unfortunately, some of the frogs that arrive are not injured but are very sick. Some of these don't survive because their illness is not curable or because their condition is so poor by the time they are found that the right treatments are too late. Frogs that die from disease are preserved and sent on to pathologists and frog researchers so that we can have their diseases identified.

We care for frogs under veterinary supervision and the guidance of Australian frog researchers. We also comply with the relevant laws and regulations on the care of protected wildlife. These are detailed below.

Legal Authorisations

The Cairns Frog Hospital and the Frog Decline Reversal Project, Inc. function under various permits issued by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service. This is because all amphibians are protected wildlife in Queensland and are the 'property of the Crown'. Our Curator/Founding President has been issued with the following permits for amphibians:

• a Rescue Permit to receive and care for frogs and tadpoles and to release them back to the wild after recovery
• a Scientific Purposes permit to allow those frogs which die to be preserved (according to instructions given by pathologists) and transported to scientific personnel for analysis
• an Education Permit to allow frogs and tadpoles to be taken to educational talks, classes and workshops which are given by the Curator/Founding President

Professional Guidance

The Cairns Frog Hospital is a care facility for sick, injured, translocated, deformed and rescued frogs and tadpoles and is run by volunteer carers experienced in frog husbandry. We are collaborators with JCU and CSIRO on two government funded amphibian disease projects and have regular access to a variety of amphibian, disease and pathological experts at JCU, CSIRO, DPI, Registry of Wildlife Pathology, etc. We are members of the Wildlife Disease Association, the Australian Wildlife Health Network, the Ecological Society of Australia, and the Declining Amphibian Populations Task Force.

Our Caring Philosophy

Our Curator has a diverse background which includes five years with animal welfare groups and thirteen years involvement in frog conservation activities. Her experience is reflected in her genuine empathy for these animals and this dedication has been recognised by the Australian government in the forms of the Centenary Medal in 2003 and the Cassowary Award in 2006.

Our patients are kept in individual tanks and fed top quality food and vitamins. They receive treatment specific to their condition which might include antibacterial and antifungal baths, antibiotics, nutritional supplements and veterinary procedures such as swabs, impression smears, biopsies, surgery, etc.

We do not impose any time limits on the recovery of frogs and look after them for as long as they need to get well again. Frogs with diseases or unusual conditions are photographed and detailed records kept of their treatments and progress. In cases where a frog has come in with injuries too severe to be fixed, these animals are humanely euthanaised according to accepted veterinary standards.

We hope to use the information we are gathering about injuries and disease to publish care guidelines for other groups so that frogs outside our region can be brought into care and, therefore, saved.

Last updated: March 8, 2007