On my way


by

Marcos Carello

Conservation Fellow

Conservacionista emergente, apasionado por la herpetología y trabajando día a día en la conservación del Amazonas, en la región Madre de Dios, Perú.

Learn more about Marcos Carello


August 19, 2021

On my way

 

I have had a strange fascination with frogs since I was young, and for a long time, I asked myself why. Some years ago I decided to stop questioning myself and start thinking about how I could use this weird but strong passion to help these vulnerable animals.

Mama cane toad. (Rhinella marina)

Here is where my journey into conservation began. After some failed attempts to join university I decided to visit the place that I had always dreamed about, the Amazon rainforest. And more specifically, the Madre de Dios region of southeastern Peru. After that first trip I couldn’t avoid going back again and again. There I understood that in order to protect anurans (frogs & toads), first I needed to learn a lot about them.

Run into a Phyllomedusa bicolor breeding pond!

I have been using social media to raise awareness about these animals throughout my several years of volunteering and learning in the Amazon. People usually express disgust or exhibit fear towards frogs, or they feel nothing at all. I realized that people are really surprised when they see someone showing a love for frogs. Sometimes, with just the right image, you can change the perspective in which a person sees a frog.This is where I put my effort while creating stories about anurans. I strive to show people how amazing and important frogs are, and inspire passion through my appreciation of them. 

Some months ago I found my place at Hoja Nueva, a research and animal rehabilitation center located in the Las Piedras river. Thanks to Hoja Nueva and ACEER, I am on my way to my first concrete project to help anurans in the Madre de Dios region of Peru, and I couldn’t be happier. I am excited to introduce you to some of the amazing frog species of the Amazon, and the stories that surround them.

Same strategy for finding these two terrestrial species, spotting the huge red eye-shine in the leaf  litter. Leptodactylus pentadactylus & Ceratophrys cornuta.

 

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