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After More Than a Decade, Colombia's 'Holy Grail' Poison Dart Frog Reaches the Legal Market for the First Time

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE After More Than a Decade, Colombia’s “Holy Grail” Poison Dart Frog Reaches the Legal Market for the First Time Tesoros Frogs releases the first captive-bred Oophaga sylvatica “Koi” ever legally available to keepers, the result of a conservation program built to undercut smugglers, not to profit from rarity. CUNDINAMARCA, Colombia — For the first time, one of the most sought-after poison dart frogs in the world is available to keepers through legal, captive-bred origin. Tesoros Frogs, Colombia’s only licensed conservation-breeding program of its kind, has released the first captive-bred Oophaga sylvatica “Koi” ever offered, with additional frogs expected through the program’s regular shipments. The milestone caps more than ten years of work, and is widely misunderstood. Tesoros began with a shipment of dying frogs. In 1998, Colombian police called Ivan Lozano, then director of Bogotá’s wildlife rescue center, about two suspicious boxes at El Dorado International Airport bound for Europe. Inside were nearly 800 poison dart frogs crammed into tiny containers. Most were dead or dying by the time he arrived. His response was to attempt what no one in Colombia had: breed the most-trafficked species legally and sell them for less than smugglers could, until the illegal trade stopped making financial sense. The cost of that effort is a matter of public record. As reported by National Geographic, Lozano’s business partners withdrew their support, leaving him with 2,000 frogs, no license, and roughly USD 400,000 in debt. Obtaining the license took nearly a decade. The Associated Press reported that the first export permit alone took three years, and that the program has struggled to keep prices low because of permitting costs. Tesoros has come close to failing more than once. “People see a rare frog and assume there is a fortune behind it. The truth is the opposite. What it costs to bring one of these animals out legally, over years, is far more than what it returns. We do this because if we do not, these species get taken from the forest instead.” — Ivan Lozano, founder of Tesoros Frogs The clearest evidence of the program’s purpose is what has happened to prices. The golden poison frog, among the most heavily trafficked species, sold for around USD 150 before Tesoros began exporting; today it can be obtained legally for under USD 35. U.S. breeders and collectors report the market for wild-caught Colombian poison dart frogs has diminished significantly. That decline is the goal, not a side effect: the aim, as Lozano has put it, is for prices to fall so far that trafficking these frogs is no longer profitable. Oophaga sylvatica is classified as Near Threatened, pressured by illegal overcollection and habitat loss. The “Koi” takes its name from its resemblance to ornamental koi fish, and no two individuals share the same pattern. Long among the most desirable frogs in the hobby, it has until now been unavailable from any legal captive-bred source, leaving keepers who wanted one to choose between going without and buying an animal of unknown origin. Conservation breeding of this kind runs on far thinner margins than most assume and depends on outside support. Readers who want to support amphibian conservation in Colombia can do so through Active Conservation Alliance , a US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit funding habitat protection and community conservation work across the country. Ivan Lozano serves on its board. About Tesoros Frogs: Tesoros Frogs (Tesoros de Colombia) is a Colombia-based conservation-breeding program producing legally sourced, captive-bred poison dart frogs as an alternative to the illegal wildlife trade. It remains the only licensed commercial breeding operation of its kind in Colombia. More at tesorosfrogs.com . Media Contact: Michael Heinrich, Founder, Active Conservation Alliance | [email protected] | [720] 688 - 9000 | tesorosfrogs.com