'Extinct' Toad Revealed by Indigenous

credit: Fundaciòn Atelopus

Declaring a species extinct in the wild is not an exact science. The annals are replete with instances of a supposed 'lost" species turning up alive and well in nature. Case in point, the beautiful starry night harelquin toad, Atelopus arsyecue. Well named because of its black and white clown suit that advertises its toxicity, the toad has evaded scientific detection for thirty years. But the toad's indigenous neighbors have been living with it the entire time. The Arhuaco people of the Sogrome community in Colombia's Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta consider the toad sacred, so they have been loathed to expose the animal to scientific curiosity. After several years of discussion, they decided to allow researchers from a Colombian conservation group, Fundación Atelopus, to record and photograph the toad for science.

Gouna, as the toad is know to the natives, is their environmental informant that tells them when to conduct ceremonies and plant crops. Gouna is the also the guardian of water of symbol of fertility in their culture. Many harelquin toads in the cloud forests have subcumbed to the deadly fungus pathogen plague over the last three decades, the starry night has bucked the trend. It is however listed as critically endangered by the IUCN. Eighty of the known 96 harlequin toad species are endangered, critically endangered or extinct in the wild As of 2018, 37 harlequin toad species had disappeared from their known homes and have not been seen since the early 2000s, despite efforts to find them. A spokesperson for the native community and a biology student at university said, “We manage our resources and conserve our home as the law of origin dictates, which means that we live in balance with Mother Earth and all of the life here." The conservationists allowed to record the toad are grateful to the indigenous that decided to share their precious gouna with the world because their intimate knowledge of the natural world in which they live, allows scientists to "better understand how some species are surviving and how we can conserve the natural world in a way that connects spiritual and cultural knowledge."

It took four years of dialogue with tribal leaders and shamans, called "mamos", to establish trust and good intentions. Even then scientists were not allowed to take pictures of the toad at first to prove their ability to "resist temptation". Mammos finally consulted Nature before allowing researchers to hike eight miles through the forest to locate and photograph their toad deity. Discussions with the native community are underway to determine ways to protect their unspoiled habitat and the sacred gounas that live there.