Photography Tourism Threatens India’s Rare, Star-Spangled Galaxy Frog

General

Seven rare frogs vanished from a study site after several groups of nature photographers visited their conservation area in the Western Ghats.

Nature and wildlife photographers often are amongst the first to see or photograph endangered or rare species. By doing so, nature photographers can be the eyes of the public and thus, can generate awareness, vital income and support for conservation efforts. But nature photographers – in their quest for those rare “money shots” – are often in a unique position to harm the very beings that they photograph and the habitats these animals and plants live in. For this reason, these photographers should be bound by ethical obligations to exercise special care of these species and the habitats they live in, but unfortunately, this is not always the case.

Today, a new report was published revealing that a population of threatened galaxy frogs, Melanobatrachus indicus, has vanished from a study site they formerly occupied in the Western Ghats, India, after several nature photographers damaged their home and probably destroyed the precious microhabitat occupied by these tiny frogs.

The Western Ghats is roughly 1,600 km long on India’s west coast. It is rich in unique ecosystems like wet tropical forests and grasslands, and is internationally recognized as a top “biodiversity hotspot” that is home to unique flora & fauna.

Galaxy frogs are elusive and tiny, measuring only 2-3.5cm (roughly an inch) in length. They are so rare that the species was only rediscovered in 1997 (ref). Galaxy frogs are dark blue with a red-orange underparts and are named for their striking, galaxy-like pale-blue speckles (Figure 1A).

Figure 1. (A) Adult Melanobatrachus indicus recorded from our study site (specific coordinates withheld).

KP Rajkumar / ZSL

Galaxy frogs are endemic to wet evergreen forests of southern Western Ghats in Kerala and Tamil Nadu states of India, and are typically found in dark, moist places such as under the cover of leaf litter, rotting logs and rocks. Despite its tiny size, the galaxy frog is so striking and distinctive in appearance that it has been recognized as the flagship species for the Mathikettan Shola National Park in Kerala State since 2021.

“During our project, with help of Forest Department, the galaxy frog was declared the flagship species of Mathikettan Shola National Park in Kerala, making it the first frog to be designated as a flagship species of a Protected Area in India,” said the study’s lead author, conservation biologist KP Rajkumar, an EDGE Fellow with the Zoological Society of London’s EDGE of Existence Programme.

“This was a truly eye-opening development, because most conservation attention in India and globally has traditionally focused on large mammals – now, the galaxy frog is an ambassador for amphibians and other lesser-known yet conservation-important species and their habitats.”

However, the conversion of their lush rainforest habitat into agricultural land to grow crops including coffee and tea has caused this frog’s severely fragmented population to be listed as Vulnerable and Decreasing by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) (ref).

These frogs are extremely colorful; are they poisonous?

“Very little is currently known about these tiny, rare frogs so there’s still a lot we’re learning about them,” replied Dr Rajkumar in email. “We can’t yet say for certain whether they are poisonous or not, but many amphibians have a bright underside to scare predators.”

Figure 1. (B–G) Microhabitat of M. indicus before and after disturbance by nature photographers. Undisturbed rotting log where frogs were found in May 2019, photographed after our survey (B) and again after having been overturned by photographers, photographed in August 2021 (C). Logs where frogs were found in January 2020, photographed after our survey (D) and again after having been left overturned by nature photographers, photographed in August 2021 (E). Log pile where we found frogs in March 2020, photographed after our survey (F) and again in overturned condition, with the surrounding vegetation cleared by nature photographers, photographed in August 2021 (G). (Credit: K.P. Rajkumar / ZSL EDGE programme)

Photos by K.P. Rajkumar

During multiple visits to the study site in early 2020, Dr Rajkumar and collaborators found up to seven individual galaxy frogs living beneath logs on the forest floor. However, upon returning to the study site between August 2021 and May 2022, Dr Rajkumar and collaborators found that logs had been overturned and the surrounding vegetation trampled, and all of the seven rare frogs had vanished (Figure 1B-G).

“This sad event is a stark warning for the consequences of unregulated photography,” Dr Rajkumar warned. “While their colouring and rarity makes the galaxy frog a sought-out subject for photographers, it’s vital that those wishing to photograph these unique frogs don’t inadvertently contribute to their extinction – it would be a tragic irony if a drive to capture their likeness on camera today turned them into a thing of the past.”

Galaxy frog (Melanobatrachus indicus) in the Western Ghats, India (Credit: KP Rajkumar / ZSL)

According to the experiences shared with the research team by an anonymous local field tracker, several groups of nature photographers had visited the study site between June 2020 and April 2021. In addition to turning over logs and trampling vegetation, the anonymous tracker reported that the nature photographers used their flash settings during photography, risking dehydration and stress to the tiny frogs. Further, multiple photographers were observed handling each frog without gloves, thereby increasing the chance that diseases could be spread between them.

“What surprised me the most was the extent to which ethical and biosecurity protocols were ignored during the photography events,” Dr Rajkumar told me in email. “Frogs are very sensitive to handling and temperature variations, so being handled for hours, without gloves or following biosecurity protocols can cause severe stress and mortality – putting the entire population at risk.”

“Done correctly, photography can be a huge asset to helping conservationists build our understanding of areas such as animal distribution or behaviour – plus, the resulting pictures can help educate others about these incredible species,” Dr Rajkumar pointed out. “However, irresponsible photography can turn this asset into a hazard.”

It is critically important that nature and wildlife photographers act in ways that minimizes their impacts upon their subjects and upon their habitats – and since nature photographers appear to be unwilling to curb their interference, it seems that the government must step in to ensure that they behave ethically.

“We need wildlife photographers to consider how they can minimise the disturbance they cause during shoots, and for those arranging or promoting such trips to ensure that photography has minimal negative impacts on wildlife and habitats. In addition to a code of ethical field practice, steps like introducing fines for those who violate these standards or training to ensure licensed guides are knowledgeable on correct practices will help ensure that people can continue photographing these wonderful animals for generations to come.”

Are there specific regulations regarding frog or amphibian photography?

“Sadly, there are currently no regulations specifically governing the photography of frogs or other amphibians,” Dr Rajkumar told me in email, noting that specific measures have been introduced in India for photographing other threatened wildlife species.

“Photography of the Critically Endangered great Indian bustard during the breeding season is regulated by the Government, and bird nest photography is banned in many photography competitions and discouraged by several birding groups following a series of incidents in which photographers altered nest surrounding to get clearer photos. Such activities seriously disturb the birds and expose their nests to predators and other threats. This issue is gradually gaining attention, and many photographers now strictly follow these guidelines and encourage group members to do the same.”

As the lone representative of their genus on the Tree of Life, galaxy frogs are classified as an Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) species (ref) – a group containing the world’s most unique species that are at risk of being lost forever. From leatherback turtles in Venezuela to chameleons in Tanzania, the galaxy frog is just one of many species that the EDGE of Existence programme works to protect as part of ZSL’s mission to address the biodiversity crisis and build a world where people and nature can thrive. ZSL’s EDGE of Existence Programme works around the world to support grassroot conservationists working to protect these animals from extinction.

Galaxy frog in the Western Ghats, India. (Credit: Benjamin Tapley / ZSL)

“Sharing beautiful photographs and video clips of animals – especially animals like frogs that don’t benefit from the same universal adoration as some other species – can be hugely beneficial for their conservation,” said one of the study’s co-authors, conservation biologist Benjamin Tapley, Curator of Reptiles and Amphibians at ZSL. “A picture can inspire someone to care, to learn more, to take action; but that picture-perfect moment should never come at the cost of the animal’s wellbeing or its home.”

“While it may seem that the galaxy frog is just one population of one species, this sad tale shows how we all have a part to play in protecting the natural world,” Dr Tapley continued. “While we want to encourage people to get out there and appreciate all the incredible life that we share this planet with, it’s essential they do so respectfully so as not to cause further damage.”

“Photography can be a powerful tool to popularise a species and attract conservation attention, but it must be done ethically,” Dr Rajkumar concluded in email. “It can be used responsibly to create awareness for threatened species; used irresponsibly, it instead risks their future.”

“[W]ithout careful and responsible management, we risk them disappearing off the face of the planet for good.”

General Source:

K.P. Rajkumar, Benjamin Tapley, Jyoti Das, Sandeep Das, and P.S. Easa (2025). Unethical wildlife photography imperils the Western Ghats endemic galaxy frog, Melanobatrachus indicus Beddome, 1878, Herpetology Notes, 17.

NOTE: No AI tools were used in the research, writing or editing of this piece.