One of WA’s smallest amphibians gets frog-tastic funding push through chocolate factory

A renowned West Australian chocolate brand has jumped in to help save one of the State’s smallest amphibians from extinction.

The Margaret River Chocolate Company has launched a special range of chocolates to raise money for South West Natural Resource Management’s ongoing conservation of the critically endangered white-bellied frog.

Visitors to the popular chocolate shop have the chance to grab a pack of white chocolate frogs to help raise money for the minuscule amphibian.

Chocolate factory general manager Ann McCormack said it isn’t the chocolate factory’s first foray into conservation work, with similar projects raising money for the western swamp tortoise, numbats and quokkas in the past.

She said the frogs had been a hit so far.

“We’ve had such positive feedback from everybody, I think it’s close to everybody’s hearts and people are interested in the species of their region in particular,” Ms McCormack said.

“It’s great to get a nice sweet treat as well as helping an endangered species in the local community. We live in such a wonderful environment, so this is just our way of helping out where we can.”

South West NRM chief executive Manda Page said her team took great delight in sampling a pack of the white chocolate frogs during a recent staff meeting and their decision was unanimous — it was the best chocolate they had tasted.

“It was made especially delicious because eating it means helping create environmental benefits in our South West at the same time,” she said.

“The Margaret River Chocolate Company is generously donating $1 from the sale of every 15 pack of their new white chocolate frogs to our South West environment fund for projects that will benefit the white-bellied frogs.

“What’s really special about this partnership is not just the fundraising aspect, it’s the opportunity for us to significantly raise community awareness about the plight of the white-bellied frog and the importance of conservation work to save threatened species in general.”

Dr Page said the NRM are currently taking a two-ponged approach to rescuing the white-bellied frog from the “cliff-edge of extinction” through two separate projects funded by the Federal Government.

The first involves testing a never-been-done before site rehydration technique to revitalise creek lines which have become too dry for the frogs to live and breed in.

The second involves boosting native populations through the translocation of white-bellied frogs bred by Perth Zoo to known habitats.

“Every single organism is precious in its own right — they all have a role, and even if we don’t fully understand that role, or the importance of it in the context of supporting humans, it has a right to coexist with us,” Dr Page said.

“The reality is, it could be the loss of a microscopic and seemingly insignificant species which triggers a catastrophic ecosystem collapse.”

The chocolate frogs had sold out several times in the Margaret River store with the supply to spread to the Perth and Swan Valley stores when local demand dies down.