Some who have heard the sound of the “mountain chicken” on the British colony of Montserrat have described its call as magical. But an invasive fungus has nearly wiped out the amphibian since it probably arrived on the island earlier this year.

Named for its unique taste and popularity as a delicacy, the frog once inhabited five Caribbean islands. But the chytrid fungus, and overhunting, has now left Montserrat and nearby Dominica as the only two remaining habitats.

Britain’s Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, the Zoological Society of London and the Parken Zoo in Stockholm will use the airlifted mountain chickens in captive breeding programs to prevent the species from being entirely wiped out.

The frogs (Leptodactylus fallax) were taken from the only remaining area on Montserrat where chytrid has not arrived. Chytrid is one of the leading causes of the decline of amphibians around the world.

Durrell's Head of Herpetology, Gerardo García, said, “I remember being surrounded by calling frogs in Montserrat and the effect of the sound echoing off the sides of the valleys was magical. It has been very sad to return to these valleys and see them either empty or full of dead and dying frogs.”

Photo: Montserrat Today