Chytridiomycosis caused by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis has driven over 90 amphibian species to extinction and continues to devastate frog and salamander populations worldwide.
Chytridiomycosis causes prolonged suffering before death. Infected amphibians lose the ability to regulate salt and water balance through their highly permeable skin, leading to electrolyte imbalance and eventual heart failure. The process may take days to weeks. Animals show distress behaviour including abnormal positioning, reduced escape responses, and skin abnormalities. The scale of amphibian suffering from this disease - affecting tens of millions of individuals across hundreds of species - represents an enormous but largely invisible welfare crisis.