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Wild Kihansi Spray Toad in the gorge. Today, the Kihansi Spray Toad may now be extinct in the wild.
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Upload Date: 2008:02:28 22:00:42
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Toad on brink of extinction, scientists race to study amphibian for bioactive compounds
Kihansi Gorge in Tanzania prior to the construction of the dam. The ladders in the top picture were placed along side the falls to access the Upper-Upper Spray Zone for survey and monitoring. Dr. Tim Davenport says "Yes, they were very rickety, but they were the only way to get up to that part of the gorge."
PHOTO BY TIM DAVENPORT / WCS.
That the Kihansi Spray Toad possesses this particular developmental feature -- though not exclusive to the species -- may or be a function of the ephemeral nature of its environment. The Kihansi Gorge environment is so specialized that the toad has not been found in any surrounding wetlands of gorges. The toad had one of the smallest geographic ranges -- approximately two hectares -- of any four-legged vertebrate species in the world. Due to the unique conditions of the spray zone habitat, other endemic species have made adaptations to survive. Another local amphibian, the Torrent Frog, has modified suction mouth parts that enable it to cling to the slick rocks at the base of the falls.
Trouble for the toad, then unknown to science, began in the mid 1980s when the Tanzanian power authority took notice of the falls and its potential as a significant power source for the energy-strapped region. In July of 1994, the Tanzanian government began construction of the 180 mega-watt Lower Kihansi Hydropower Project (LKHP) in order to meet growing electricity demands from mining and tourist industries. The $275 million project was jointly funded by the World Bank and several international development agencies. A year into construction, researchers carrying out the first environmental survey discovered the Kihansi spray toad along with two endemic plant species.
Wild Kihansi Spray Toad in the gorge. Today, the Kihansi Spray Toad may now be extinct in the wild.
PHOTO BY TIM DAVENPORT / WCS.
Despite the findings, construction continued uninterrupted and late in 1999, dam operators began diverting water to produce badly needed electricity. Within six months the original flow of the Kihansi River was reduced to 25 percent, having an immediate impact on the Kihansi Spray Toad. In the absence of the spray, the critically endangered amphibian and at least two endangered plant species, including a type of wild coffee that grew only in the waterfall spray zone, suddenly sat on the brink of extinction.
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