Saturday, May 2, 2009

The International Day of the Frog celebrated at ‘Earthworm’



The International Day of the Frog was celebrated at ‘Earthworm’ on the 28th of April as a part of the ‘Save our Frogs’ campaign 09. A Photo exhibition of based on the theme ‘ Amphibians of Goa’ was organized in the display area of Earthworm from 10.00 am to 9.00 pm to create awareness of the diversity of amphibian species that have been documented in the state of Goa so far. A section of exhibition space was also dedicated to visitor’s views and suggestions on the ‘Save Our Frogs’ campaign and this elicited a good response from the guests.
In the evening, a Power Point presentation cum talk was delivered by Nirmal Kulkarni on the topic ‘Amphibian Diversity of Goa’. He highlighted the key species that were threatened due to illegal hunting and trade as well due to loss of habitat especially in the state of Goa. The highly interactive 2-hour session saw an attendance of students, wildlife enthusiasts and media persons who also participated various issues related to amphibian conservation and biology.
The refreshment break saw visitors speak intensely about various issues including garbage management, habitat destruction in the Pilerne lake area and the role of the Forest Dept in the ‘Save our Frogs’ campaign. The need to come up with a planned campaign with the support of the media and official agencies was unanimously agreed amidst sips of natural Kokum juice and cake.
A Quiz on Amphibians was later conducted by Rajiv and Tallulah D’silva and received an overwhelming response from the guests. The informal event saw participants learn many previously unknown facts about frogs and toads in general.
Earthworm plans to continue the ‘ Save our Frog’ campaign along with other like-minded groups and individuals in the state and hopes to make a difference by doing so. We also plan to organize various small events and talks before the monsoons to strengthen the ‘Save our Frogs’ campaign.
Believing in the ripple effect, Earthworm also hopes that more groups and organizations across the state organize unique events to create awareness of this important issue and help stabilize amphibian populations across the state of Goa.
For more information contact Earthworm at- earthwormgoa@gmail.com

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