The deformed frogs are merely one manifestation of the overall pressures faced by amphibian species, he said. This is making people sit up and take notice, but it's just a symptom of what is happening to the populations through ongoing habitat destruction and contamination. Casper reported that the state has lost 80-90 percent of the cricket frog population over the last 40 years. The National Wildlife Health Lab's Kathryn Converse described telling children about the frog declines. It's not easy to explain the situation to her own children, she said.
Frogs are sick and dying.
Salamanders are thought to be in decline, too. All sorts of wildlife are in decline, especially those that require special habitats. But those species that live in more narrow ecological niches are having more trouble finding sufficient habitat. Ultimately, we have to come to terms with population growth and balance it with the quality of life and the resources available. Those questions aren't even discussed in America.