The Golden Frog Festival in El Valle
The Panamanian golden frog is an endangered amphibian endemic to the central region of the Panama. Each year, Panama celebrates The Golden Frog Festival to raise ecological awareness in the country.
The thirteenth Golden Frog Festival in Panama will take place from August 12 to 18 in various parts of the country including El Valle, an hour from Coronado, Panama. This year, the event is organized with the support of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in an effort to raise awareness about the loss of Panamanian frogs.
This species, a Panamanian environmental and cultural symbol, has not been recored in the wild since 2009. Its population has declined dramatically due to chytridiomycosis, a fungus that had serious negative effects on amphibians. Habitat degradation by human activities and capture for the pet trade have also played a role in their decline. Despite challenges, golden frog populations are maintained in captive breeding programs in Panama and the United States.
The Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project (PARC), created in 2009, is a collaboration between the New England Zoo, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Houston Zoo, Smithsonian National Zoo and STRI, aimed at rescuing and establishing sustainable populations of this and other endangered amphibian species.
The festival year the Golden Frog Festival in Panama will feature a series of activities throughout the country that pay tribute to Lucrecia Arosemena, whose dedication was crucial in establishing August 14, 2010 as the National Golden Frog Day in Panama.
From August 12 until until the 18th the Festival will be celebrated in El Valle de Anton. The event includes a community clean up on August 12th, educational activities from the 13th until the 16th and at 5:00 pm on the 14th a community mass. The festival will close over the weekend in El Valle with events, food and an artisanal market on the 16th, 17th & 18th.
The 17th is the main event with a parade starting at 9:00 a.m. and events from 11:00 a.m. for the whole family!
On August 17 and 18, the Golden Frog Festival will move to the Science Foundation stand in Panama at the Panama International Book Fair, which will be held at the Atlapa Convention Center from August 13 to 18.
