World Frog Day marks a leap backwards in Ontario

TORONTO, March 20, 2025 /CNW/ - Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – World Frog Day comes at a somber moment this year in Ontario, with the local extinction of the Blanchard's cricket frog moving one step closer. The federal government is currently consulting on changing its listing from Endangered to Extirpated under the Species at Risk Act.

A vocal and colorful frog species, the cricket frog long inhabited ponds and marshes in southwestern Ontario but has not been sighted or heard in a number of years. The provincial government previously declared the species locally extinct in 2008, citing the loss of wetlands, habitat degradation, and runoff from pesticides and fertilizers.

One quarter of all freshwater animals worldwide are now at risk of extinction as a result of similar pressures, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature in a January 2025study.

Says Ontario Nature Conservation and Advocacy Manager Shane Moffatt:

"When it comes to the loss of wildlife in Ontario, our past actions are starting to catch up with us. While it might be too late for the cricket frog, it doesn't have to be too late for other species at risk. Unfortunately, the Ontario government's policies have further reduced essential protections for endangered species and wetlands in recent years. The fate of the cricket frog marks an important opportunity for the newly elected provincial government to restore and enhance protections for species at risk."

About
Ontario Nature protects wild species and wild spaces through conservation, education and public engagement. A charitable organization, Ontario Nature represents more than 30,000 members and supporters, and 150 member groups across Ontario. For more information, visit ontarionature.org.

SOURCE Ontario Nature