 Peru |
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 January 2012 |
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 Conservation of Lake Titicaca Frogs in Peru |
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 Tom Weaver |
January 22, 2012
It was a long day of travel. We had a long layover in Houston, so we used this time to complete some work, as I would be out of the country for the next two weeks. Things have been busy at the zoo and home so it was good to get my mind set to be in South America. It doesn't matter how much planning you do, there are still things to wrap up and things that you forget to do. During this trip I would be heading to Peru and Bolivia to continue my work in conservation the Lake Titicaca Frog. Since 2007 Denver Zoo has been involved in the conservation of Lake Titicaca Frogs in Lima and Puno, Peru. Denver Zoo is committed to helping preserve this species on the brink of extinction through a comprehensive conservation program that includes field research, captive breeding programs and public awareness.
January 23, 2012
We arrived late in Lima the night before and got up early to go to the airport. We met Roberto (our Peruvian project manager) and Raul (a student of Roberto's who is doing his thesis on the presence of chytrid fungus in Lake Titicaca) at the airport. Roberto has taken a lead role in putting our Peru trips together, which is great to have someone on the ground to organize logistics. It was good to see those guys even though I just was with them back in November. They stayed at my house for two weeks in November, while visiting Denver to learn about amphibian husbandry training and to hang and meet with staff and see the zoo first hand. It is always good to see Denver Zoo's support help motivate local biologist in conservation! When we arrived in Puno, Peru we went right to the reserve office to do the final plans for the workshop we were having with the staff for the next two days.
