Ranavirus

You will notice, my dear invisible reader, that no posts have been made since last July. The reason for this is that at the start of July I found a frog in the pond with horrible ulcers on his back and legs. I read as much as I could about frog health and when I found several more frogs in a similar state I began to dread that it was an outbreak of Ranavirus.

As you can see from the picture, this is a horrible thing and very upsetting to see.

By the time the first frog died I had already been in touch with some of the leading experts on amphibian health in the country and was asked to send the little corpse, well packed in ice, down to the Institute of Zoology in London for examination.

Sadly, the result was a confirmation of my fears. It was Ranavirus and there was nothing I could do to help the frogs who had made their home in my pond. Several more died last summer showing horrible ulcers and eventually starving to death as they became more and more ill.

Watching them and knowing there was nothing I could do to help broke my heart. Every frog that died was buried in my garden and I have watched those remaining very carefully in the hope that they would get through this cold and ice winter.

So far this winter only one has died because of the cold. I found him dead and unmarked at the bottom of the smaller pond with no sign of disease or bloating (I had kept the ponds as clear of ice as I could during the cold spell). It seemed to be the winter itself that killed him.

So here we are, spring is on the way soon and both ponds will hopefully become the home to a new generation of tadpoles and young frogs. Another pond is planned (one can never have enough ponds) and I know that come the summer I will be looking for signs of ulcers with absolute dread.

In the meantime, I cannot wait for the joy of seeing the little chaps come out of hibernation and return to their watery home.