\n The study found unregulated photography trips are a key culprit, causing disturbances and behavioral changes that can disrupt the frogs\u2019 feeding and breeding success.\n <\/p>\n
\n In early 2020, Zoological Society of London researcher Rajkumar K P, who led the study, discovered a group of seven galaxy frogs nestled beneath logs in the Western Ghats, according to the report.\n <\/p>\n
\n But his return \u2013 after a break because of Covid-19 restrictions \u2013 revealed the group had since vanished, raising serious concerns for the species\u2019 survival.\n <\/p>\n
![\"Galaxy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/gettyimages-2163182566.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n Researchers had begun monitoring the patch of rainforest in 2019, the study said, in ongoing efforts to track the elusive frogs, listed as \u201cvulnerable\u201d by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.\n <\/p>\n
\n By March 2020, the team found a group of seven tucked beneath decomposing logs and leaf litter.\n <\/p>\n
\n However, over the following two summers, groups of photographers descended on the site, trampling the area and leaving logs displaced in their quest for the perfect shot, researchers found.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cThe photographers were familiar with the microhabitat of the species from publications and local trackers and overturned many logs whilst searching for the species,\u201d the report read.\n <\/p>\n
\n In the study, trackers reported groups of up to six photographers descending on the site, each eager to snap shots of every galaxy frog they found, often moving the tiny creatures onto moss or logs for a more picturesque backdrop.\n <\/p>\n
\n The frogs endured repeated handling as the photographers\u2019 high-powered camera flashes illuminated the scene for around four hours per session.\n <\/p>\n
\n Contact with bare hands, lack of hydration and no biosecurity protocols left the frogs vulnerable to stress, heat and potential disease, the report read.\n <\/p>\n
\n Two small frogs died during the marathon photoshoots, one tracker told the report, though this could not be verified by the researchers.\n <\/p>\n
\n The report urged the establishment of ethical standards in nature and conservation photography throughout India to better protect the nation\u2019s wildlife.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cThis sad event is a stark warning for the consequences of unregulated photography,\u201d Rajkumar said.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cThese beautiful yet rare frogs are unlike anything else on our tiny corner of the universe, but without careful and responsible management we risk them disappearing off the face of the planet for good.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n He added: \u201cDone 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.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cHowever, irresponsible photography can turn this asset into a hazard.\u201d\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"One of the world\u2019s most dazzling amphibians is under threat from unregulated photography trips, scientists have warned, after…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":192585,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[85,46,141,386],"class_list":{"0":"post-192584","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-il","9":"tag-israel","10":"tag-science","11":"tag-wildlife"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192584","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=192584"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192584\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/192585"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=192584"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=192584"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=192584"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}