[Intense Music]
All over the world frogs are in trouble;
and big trouble.
A third of the world's remaining amphibian 
species are now in danger of extinction.
Scientists are calling this, the amphibian crisis. As last time 
extinction rates were this high, was when the dinosaurs died out. 
To blame is habitat destruction, pollution, 
and disease and scientist are working on solutions.  
But unfortunately, for many frogs it’s too late to recover.
This is the story of one species, a small frog on a remote island, 
and its struggle to survive. 
This is the Red Frog’s Story. 
[Tropical Bird Sounds]
This is Bastimentos Island
It’s located off the Caribbean coasts of Panama.
[Tropical Beach Wave Sounds]
With lush rainforest and beautiful tropical beaches
the island has attracted a variety of life. 
but the most famous island resident is often heard before it is seen. 
[Frog Chirping]
[Inspirational Music]
While the species as a whole has a large distribution
This particular bright red, black speckled, frog is only found on this island.  
It’s coloration has earned it the name the strawberry poison dart frog
As the name suggests, the frog is poisonous.
It uses its special diet of ants and termites to 
concentrate deadly toxins on its skin.
Its bright colors are a signal to predators that the toxins on its skin not
Only taste bad, but can cause paralysis and death 
This defence mechanism is important, as the frog’s small size would 
Otherwise make it an easy meal for snakes, birds, and other predators 
These frogs can be found on the forest floor,
often near the bases of trees. 
When it's dry, the frogs climb these trees to rest in small pools 
of water, in special plants called bromeliads 
It’s from from these lookouts, above the forest floor, 
the frogs have been watching their island change 
In the last eight years, I’ve watched their island change too
and on some parts of the island, the frogs are starting to disappear. 
[Frog Chirping]
[Waves Crashing]
“Here’s Shelley at Red Frog Beach”
I first came to this island in 2007 for my honeymoon. 
We hired a small boat to take us to a beautiful beach. 
“But it’s called Red Frog Beach, because it's the only 
place in the world where these guys are found”
“Do you still see him Shelley?”
“There’s another one down there.”
The red frogs were everywhere. 
“There about the size of your thumbnail”
And when I say everywhere, I mean like watch your step everywhere. 
We saw frogs every few feet all over the Red Frog Beach area
The place really lived up to its name. 
But a few years later, the frogs near the beach 
seemed to have disappeared. 
It was time to return to the island and try to 
figure out what was going on. 
I started in the town of Old Bank, 
looking for locals who knew about the frogs
The search lead me to Vladimir who worked for development 
Called the Red Frog Beach Club
The original development plans include a golf course and many
more structures than what come to be. 
Still, the now named Red Frog Beach Resort, is the 
largest development by far on the island 
and the only place cars and golf carts can be found. 
42
00:06:01,100 --> 00:06:14,100
I asked Vladimir if he’d noticed changes in the frog population. 
During my 2013 and 2014 trips, I couldn’t find any frogs 
at Red Frog Beach
But there were signs stating the frog population was being monitored. 
In 2013, I noticed a small area of rainforest had 
been fenced off. 
At that time, the enclosure had several frogs in it, as well as
 informational signs. 
But, compared to others on the island, the fenced tree seemed dry and unhealthy 
and with no other frogs near by, it was unclear how the frogs
 in the enclosure got there. 
it also didn’t seem like a good frog habitat
the bromeliads were brown and the leaf litter 
was raked away, 
both not good things for the frogs.  
In any case, the exhibit now seems to be closed. 
With the frogs missing from the area, 
a business opportunity was born. 
Children started collecting the frogs from other areas
and bringing them to beach for tourist tips. 
The frogs are not used to the bright sun and actually rely on the forest 
canopy for shade and to keep their bodies cool
According to warning signs now posted on the beach,
children would gather new frogs each morning, 
use them for the day’s profits, 
then carelessly discard them.
A Few years ago when Red Frogs could still be found at Red Frog Beach, 
it sounded different. 
Even though they are less than an inch long, 
the frogs can produce quite a sound. 
These calls can be heard from quite a distance away. 
In fact while filming, that’s how we found most the frogs. 
The calls are used to attract mate, 
but also to declare territories.
The male frogs are extremely territorial, 
and sometimes disputes must be settled. 
The forest floor becomes a battleground with fights over 
territory and the breeding rights that come with it. 
The tiny frogs roll and wrestle in the leaves each attempting to 
control the other by climbing on its back.
After the rainfall, small puddles form in the leaves
and the fights intensify 
for the goal is not only to pin your opponent, 
but to drowned him.
these behaviors are important as the weakest frogs are forced out of 
the best breeding territories and the genepool 
These fights can last up to 20 minutes and are often watched by the 
female from a safe distance.
Thankfully, most fights end with one frog simply hopping away. 
On a different part of the island lies the town of old bank. 
The buildings and shacks are beautiful colors and
and most of the town overlooks the Caribbean
The town has no cars, or roads really, just a network of 
pathways, docks, and wooden planks. 
Unfortunately, what many visitors remember about 
the town is the trash. 
In town, piles of trash are found everywhere. The trash ranges 
from bottles and cans and discarded food to even appliances. 
I headed to Roberto and Debby’s house. They’ve lived on the island 
since 2010 and have been involved in several clean up attempts. 
Rob was able to offer some insight into the trash problem. 
The trash in the jungle is a problem for the frogs. 
as they have no choice to absorb the toxins through their porous skin.
to make matters worse, many of the people who throw trash in the
jungle do so near the bases of large trees An important habitat for the frogs 
Each day as the frogs journey from the forest floor to the bromeliads 
in the trees, they have to climb through these trash piles. 
In the last few years, businesses in the town have 
attempted to solve the trash problem. 
They’ve installed waste bins along the pathways 
and encouraged everyone to use them.
The beach itself is quite clean as it is frequently 
groomed by maintenance workers. 
Unfortunately, a lot of the trash  from the beach gets raked or 
thrown into the jungle and into the frog's habitat.
Some areas that once contained large amounts of frogs
 now contain large amounts of trash.
Aside from the frogs, Red Frog Beach is also important to Sea Turtles. 
Four of the world’s seven turtle species use the beach for nesting.
But with the increased activity on the beach 
there is concern the sea turtles are also being affected. 
During my 2013 and 2014 visits, it became clear that the abundance 
of red frogs for which the beach was named for was a thing of the past.
[Thunder]
Whether its habitat destruction, trash or something else.
The frogs seemed a lot harder to find than eight years ago.
But there is one the that seems to increase the frog activity. 
The Rain.
The frogs have many different color morphs on the island 
and they all come out after the rain. 
With all the activity, many of the frogs turn their attention to each other. 
Unlike most frogs, the strawberry poison dart frogs lay 
very few eggs and take care of  their tadpoles. 
This parenting is no small task to keep their tadpoles hydrated
the frogs must take advantage of the pools of water found in the bromeliads. 
This means carrying their tadpoles on their backs high up 
into the trees where the plants grow. 
I have never witnessed this event wild, 
but a frog keeper in shared this footage. 
See that tadpole climbing on its mother’s back. 
For thousands of years the frogs have been climbing the trees on this island, 
carrying their young to better pools, better homes. 
At some point humans came to the island and 
the frogs shared their home. 
Even Columbus stopped by on his final voyage to the new 
world, he was anchored for two weeks off this island. 
So for thousands of years the along with the waves,
these frog’s chirps have been the soundtrack to the island. 
But with what's going on, 
I wonder what the island will sound like in just a few years. 
Many scientists refer to frogs as indicator species
103
00:18:50.200 --> 00:18:57,104
A species thought to be sensitive to and therefor to serve as an 
early warning indicator of environmental changes. 
When something’s wrong in the environment, indicator species are
the first wildlife to disappear. 
So what does it mean when an indicator species returns to a location? 
There’s a place like this on the island. 
A place that once had few frogs and now has many. 
This is Up in the Hill 
a coffee shop and Organic Farm
it’s also home to large frog population, but it wasn’t always that way. 
I interviewed the owner Javier to owner,
it was during a rainstorm so you’ll hear that in the background.
I asked Javier how long it took the frogs to return.
At Up in the Hill, they’ve provided habitat for the frogs.
This means they left bromeliads in the trees and leaf litter on the ground. 
And the frogs came back. 
The coffee shop benefits from the frogs being around too
as they are an important part of the ecosystem.
The frogs consume ants and termites.
They are also an important factor in tourism as
people to come to shop to see the local wildlife. 
 
116
00:22:11.200 --> 00:22:19,104
I wonder what would happen if they did the same thing on other parts of the 
island. Like not cutting down bromeliads and instead growing them. 
 
117
00:22:22.200 --> 00:22:26,104
What if trash were properly disposed of and didn’t pollute
the jungle?
What if kids didn’t pluck the frogs from the forest? 
What would happen if the manicured green lawns in front of luxury houses 
were replaced with plants and leaves? Would the frogs return?
If they did, then each front yard could become a small frog sanctuary and all 
the proud owners could declare this was Red Frog Beach
and it still is.
