Día De Salvar A Las Ranas (Save The Frogs Day) 2024 in Madhesh Province, Nepal

Introduction

Save The Frogs Day serves as the leading global initiative aimed at educating and mobilizing efforts for the conservation of amphibians, observed annually on April 28th. The primary objective of this day is to furnish frog enthusiasts with educational resources, inventive concepts, and motivation, empowering them to enlighten their communities about the significance of amphibians, all orchestrated by SAVE THE FROGS!

We commemorated the 16th Annual Save The Frogs Day in Nepal, specifically in the Madhesh province, with various sessions conducted. A total of four volunteers, including myself, were engaged to ensure the smooth operation of this event. Alongside me, other volunteers were assigned tasks such as photography and videography, face painting and crowd control, as well as event planning and guidance.

On the inaugural day, April 28th, we commenced our activities at 9 am by delivering a PowerPoint presentation about frogs at Simara Public English School. The presentation highlighted the status of frogs in Nepal, their ecological importance, the threats they face, and conservation measures, including the efforts of SAVE THE FROGS! globally. Subsequently, we engaged with students, addressing their inquiries.

Following the presentation, we proceeded to Thanimai Community Forest Users Group in Simara, Bara, via bus, accompanied by the treasurer of the community forest, Mr. Shyam Krishna Subedhi. Concurrently, face painting and refreshments were provided to the students. We distributed posters titled ‘Lowlands Frogs of Nepal’ and embarked on a nature walk and day herping session, encouraging students to identify frogs using the provided posters.

Upon returning to the school, we screened two documentaries, ‘Tadpoles: The Big Little Migration’ and ‘Why are Frogs Disappearing?’ followed by engaging the students in educational games, including a frog diet game. Subsequently, a drawing competition on the theme ‘Frogs and their Importance in Our Ecosystem’ was conducted, witnessing a significant participation from the students. The day concluded with a group photo alongside the poster, marking the conclusion of the day’s events.

On the following day, April 29th, winners of the drawing competition and frog diet games were awarded prizes. Additionally, Certificates of Appreciation were presented to the school and community forest for their invaluable assistance in ensuring the success of our event. On the same day, I conducted a similar session at another school, Pathivara English School, repeating the PowerPoint presentation, games, and poster distribution. This event was jointly conducted by Nepal Conservation and Research Center, Thaanimai community forest users group, Biodiversity Research and Conservation Society and Katie Adamson Conservation Fund in support of SAVE THE FROGS! an amphibian conservation leading organization in the globe.

This event was supported by a $350 Save The Frogs Day Grant.

“My favorite thing about Save The Frogs Day is the interaction with young minds and hand-on experience organizing an event and networking.”
– Bishal Prasad Neupane, SAVE THE FROGS! Nepal

Participants at the Madhesh event with SAVE THE FROGS! Grant Recipient Bishal Prasad Neupane.