Location: Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Date: Friday, 25th April 2025

Mr. Ahmed Junaid organized a four-day Save The Frogs Day event from 25th to 28th April 2025. It began with a seminar at PMAS-AAUR on 25th April, attended by students and faculty from various institutions including PMAS-AAUR, International Islamic University Islamabad, Zoological Survey of Pakistan, WWF-Pakistan, IUCN-Pakistan, and Islamabad Wildlife Management Board. Dr. Muhammad Sajid Nadeem, Chairman of the Department of Zoology, Wildlife and Fisheries, welcomed participants and highlighted the department’s conservation efforts and collaboration with SAVE THE FROGS! since 2024.

Waseem Ahmed, PhD, introduced the mission and global initiatives of SAVE THE FROGS!. Ahmed Junaid presented the history and purpose of Save The Frogs Day. Dr. Ayesha Akram discussed the ecological importance of frogs in ecosystem health. Keynote speaker Prof. Dr. Amaël Borzée from Nanjing Forestry University, China, spoke on amphibian ecology in agricultural landscapes and the need for public engagement. Dr. Altaf Hussain Khoro, Director of the Zoological Survey of Pakistan, shared insights into amphibian research in Pakistan. Prof. Dr. Muhammad Hanif praised the Herpetology Lab’s efforts and emphasized the significance of the event. Dr. Muhammad Rais closed the seminar with remarks encouraging continued research.

In the evening, an amphibian survey in PMAS AAUR campus was conducted to provide training on aspects of behavioral ecology of the Marbled Toad (Firouzophrynus stomaticus).

Location: District Chakwal and District Rawalpindi
Date: Saturday, 26th April 2025

A team of young amphibian enthusiasts, including Dr. Muhammad Rais, Assistant Professor, Zoology Wildlife and Fisheries, PMAS-AAUR, and Prof. Dr. Amaël Borzée, conducted amphibian surveys and community education sessions in the agricultural landscapes of District Chakwal and District Rawalpindi. Locations included the University Research Farm (URF) in Koont, village sites in District Chakwal, and Rawal Dam, Islamabad. Observed amphibians were Skittering Frog (Euphlyctis adolfi), Pierre's Wart Frog (Minervarya pierrei), Nilphamari Narrow-mouthed Frog (Microhyla nilphamariensis), Indian Bullfrog (Hoplobatrachus tigerinus), Marbled Toad (Firouzophrynus stomaticus), and Common Toad (Duttaphrynus melanostictus). Additionally, an Indian Flapshell Turtle (Lissemys punctata) was rescued from mud and safely released back into a pond.

The survey provided participants with hands-on experience in amphibian identification, habitat exploration, and public engagement, fostering future conservation initiatives.

Location: District Rawalpindi
Date: Sunday, 27th April 2025

A team of 10 participants led by Prof. Dr. Amaël Borzée visited Misriot Dam, District Rawalpindi. Initial observations included Skittering Frog (Euphlyctis adolfi) and Marbled Toad (Firouzophrynus stomaticus) in agricultural fields. Further surveys recorded Pierre's Wart Frog (Minervarya pierrei) and Nilphamari Narrow-mouthed Frog (Microhyla nilphamariensis). A key objective was to locate the Indian Bullfrog (Hoplobatrachus tigerinus), the largest frog species in Pakistan, to provide hands-on training in species identification and obtaining samples for molecular identification using oral swaps.

Location: GGHS Bilalabad, District Chakwal
Date: Monday, 28th April 2025

The School Day event was held at Government Girls High School (GGHS) Bilalabad. Students and teachers participated in a seminar featuring presentations on SAVE THE FROGS!, its global mission, grant opportunities, and ecotours. The session included an overview of local frog species, amphibian habitats, threats faced by amphibians in Pakistan and globally, and addressed common myths, emphasizing amphibians’ ecological importance.

Students engaged in a frog-themed drawing activity and were awarded certificates. The event concluded with group photos and refreshments. Participants were encouraged to act as local ambassadors for amphibian conservation.

Later, a final field survey in nearby agricultural areas recorded a Changeable Lizard (Calotes versicolor), various beetle species, and an Indian Bullfrog (Hoplobatrachus tigerinus).

Location: Trail 5, Margalla Hills National Park, Islamabad
Date: Saturday, 3rd May 2025

Miss Muzna Kashaf organized Save The Frogs Day at Trail 5, Margalla Hills National Park, in collaboration with SAVE THE FROGS!, Air Foundation School System, Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB), and Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination (MoCC&EC). Participants included 9th and 10th grade students from Air Foundation School System.

The seminar featured guest speakers Dr. Muhammad Rais, Sakhawat Ali (Deputy Director, IWMB), and Mr. Muhammad Jamil (Joint Secretary, MoCC&EC), who shared valuable insights into amphibian conservation. Activities included an awareness walk through amphibian habitats and a creative postcard-writing session advocating frog protection.

The event ended with distribution of souvenirs and refreshments, successfully raising awareness and inspiring youth to take responsibility for wildlife and ecosystem conservation.

Location: University of Chakwal, Pakistan
Date: Tuesday, 13th May 2025

Miss Unza Waqar organized a Save The Frogs Day event aimed at raising amphibian conservation awareness in a region often overlooked in environmental dialogues. The event featured an academic seminar, awareness sessions, and a frog-themed art competition involving over 150 students and faculty.

These activities highlighted frogs’ ecological importance and the threats they face, including habitat loss and climate change. The event provided a rare platform for environmental discussion in a district with limited conservation exposure, emphasizing biodiversity’s significance in local ecosystems.

Together, these efforts raised awareness and inspired communities and students to actively conserve these vital but often overlooked species.

We are excited to share the news that our faculty member, Dr. Muhammad Rais, Assistant Professor in Wildlife Management, Department of Zoology, Wildlife and Fisheries, has co-authored a research article in Nature. The journal Nature is considered as the most esteemed multidisciplinary scientific journal (Impact factor 64.8). To date, only 99 research articles featuring scientists from Pakistan have been published in this journal. The study was also featured on Nature’s cover (Vol. 622, issue 7982, 12th October, 2023, attached). The paper can be downloaded by clicking here.

The Nature paper provides an update to the 2004 landmark paper that was based on the first global amphibian assessment for the IUCN Red List, which revealed the unfolding amphibian crisis for the first time and established a baseline for monitoring trends and measuring conservation impact. According to this new study, nearly 41% of all amphibian species that have been assessed are currently globally threatened, considered critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable. This is compared to 26.5% of mammals, 21.4% of reptiles and 12.9% of birds. The study also found that three out of every five salamander species are threatened with extinction primarily as the result of habitat destruction and climate change.

The assessment evaluated the extinction risk of more than 8,000 amphibian species from all over the world, including 2,286 species evaluated for the first time. More than 1,000 experts across the globe contributed their data and expertise, which found that two out of every five amphibians are threatened with extinction. These data will be published on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™.

The study was coordinated by the Amphibian Red List Authority, which is a branch of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Species Survival Commission’s Amphibian Specialist Group, hosted and managed by Re:wild. More than 100 researchers from > 130 institutions from the length and breadth of the world participated in this study.

Dr. Shamim Akhter, Associate Professor of Zoology won "Zoologist of the Year Award 2014". The Zoological Society of Pakistan presented this award to Dr. Shamim Akhter in recognition of her outstanding contributions to Zoological Sciences. The ceremony was held during the inaugural session of 34th Zakariya University, Multan. Dr. M. H. qazi, Vice Chancellor, University of Lahore was the chief guest who honoured the award winners. Students and faculty members from different universities of Pakistan participated the conference. Pakistan Congress of Zoology held at Bahauddin