Frogs Vaccinated Against Chytrid Fungus

0:00500 endangered green and golden bell frogs just got vaccinated against the deadly Kytrid fungus and released into Sydney Olympic Park. This Australian first trial also saw another 500 unvaccinated frogs, set free there, totalling 1000 juveniles, bred from just 20. Locals Kytrid has wiped out 90 frog species worldwide, and these Aussie icons are next in line. Researchers gave the frogs a mild dose of the fungus first. Australian cured them with an anti-fungal bath to kickstart their immune systems. Conservation biologist Anthony Waddle from Macquarie University led the effort working on this vaccine for 10 years. It's a team up with the Sydney Olympic Park Authority and New South Wales Conservation Programs. These frogs have crashed 90% since the 1970s along the New South Wales coast. Back in 2000, planners found a bunch at the old brick pit meant for Olympic tennis courts, so they saved the site instead, turning it into Australia's first manmade habitat for

1:02any species. They added frog proof fences, underpasses, and 90 ponds. The park's low on predators and human traffic plus past tricks like frogs on us helped frogs fight Kytrid by warming them up. Waddle calls it a luxury resort for the bells, perfect for testing if the vaccine holds. Scientists are watching close, especially after winter, when Kytrid peaks hardest fingers cross these frogs come out swinging stronger than ever. That's your update from Sydney News Today, powered by AI.