Report from St. Kitts and Nevis observers.
They are green, slimy, toxic, and they squeal in Spanish. Cuban tree frogs spread rapidly throughout Jamaica, causing ecological and economic concerns.
This invasive species, first discovered in Clarendon, reached eight of Jamaica’s 14 parishes. Experts from the National Environmental Planning Agency (NEPA) and the Caribbean Coastal Regional Management Foundation (CCAM) are working to manage its impact and educate the public about how to manage it.
Leighton Mamdeen, Environmental Officer at NEPA, explains that it is likely that Cuban tree frogs have arrived through shipping containers.
The ability to fit in small spaces allows you to move unnoticedly and spread throughout the island. It looks like some native frogs, so identifying species is difficult for untrained observers.
However, Cuban tree frogs can be distinguished by various colors such as sizes that grow in length, long legs, large toe pads, wurty skin, white, green, brown, orange, and more.
These frogs pose a serious threat to the Jamaican ecosystem. They are aggressive predators, eating native frogs, lizards, birds, and even small snakes. Jamaica has no natural predators, causing it to disrupt the food chain and put local species at risk. Their toxic mucus also ensures their survival and is not safe for predators.
Additionally, scientists are concerned about potential mating with native frogs, but no evidence has been found yet.
Invasion also affects human life. Their toxic skin secretion can irritate sensitive skin, and unexpected presence in homes and public spaces often causes alarms. Even more worrying, they start to prey on bees in their appieries, threatening the livelihood of beekeepers and could hurt Jamaican’s agricultural sector.
NEPA and CCAM employ two approaches: education and eradication. Public education efforts include community meetings where experts explain frog impact and management strategies. To control the population, authorities deploy PVC pipe traps to attract and capture frogs. Captured frogs are humanely euthanized.
Cuban tree frogs can lay up up to 100 eggs at a time, so citizens are urged to eliminate standing water to keep their breeding down. Instead of using harmful chemicals such as bleach and hot water, NEPA recommends humane euthanasia by hitting frogs with dull or sharp objects at the back of their head.
Jamaicans are encouraged to contact NEPA via phone or social media to report sightings and submit photos and locations to help track and control spreads. Surveillance efforts are particularly important in protected areas such as Portland Bite, where endangered species such as the Portland Ridge Cave frog live.
As Cuban tree population continues to grow, urgent action is needed. Jamaica hopes to mitigate the environmental, agriculture and social impacts of this invasive species through public cooperation.
