Native frog classified as 'vulnerable' successfully introduced at the gardens

Visitors to the Singapore Botanic Gardens at night may now hear the call of a small orange frog, which was once a common sound but is now rarely detected across the island.

Researchers at the National Parks Board (NParks) said yesterday they have successfully introduced the cinnamon bush frog into the rainforest section of the gardens under the board's species recovery programme.

NParks said the native rainforest species was previously mostly confined to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Central Catchment Nature Reserve as well as their surrounding nature parks, although it is believed to have once been widespread in the country's primary rainforests.

The frog is nocturnal, with adults growing to about 4cm in length and are bright orange or reddish-brown with small white spots on the body and limbs.

The species is classified as vulnerable in Singapore due to habitat disturbance and a small population size.

NParks introduced the frogs to the gardens in December 2017 and they started breeding within a few months. This development is a good sign for the frog's reintroduction elsewhere, as well as for the recovery of other species.

Dr Thereis Choo, coordinating director of operations and development at the gardens, said: "This is a good reflection of the rainforest in the Botanic Gardens and it gives us a bit more confidence that we can probably (introduce) other species as well.

"Frogs are a good indicator species for biodiversity, meaning that if a frog survives, the area is doing well in some ways."

But Dr Choo stressed that not every species requires active intervention, although much work is still needed to allow plants and animals to thrive on their own.

"A lot of what we do is more passive work that happens behind the scenes, where we focus on creating the habitats that attract animals to come in on their own. This takes a long time."