frogs_64884_08: Rebecca Defina hopes to keep the Victorian Common Froglets breeding in Cranbourne. 64884
By Emma Sun
A CRANBOURNE resident has found frogs breeding in Cranbourne, of a species that often has trouble reproducing.
Rebecca Defina said she found the frogs, specifically Victorian Common Froglets, breeding on land in Fairfield Street opposite Cranbourne Station.
“For people who are breeders of frogs, they’ve found it’s increasingly difficult to get these frogs to breed,” she said.
“If you move them from where they are in the wild and put them in your pondages, they won’t breed.
“I’ve replicated the environment at the station, taken some from the area and they’ve been breeding in my ponds. We’ve managed to get them breeding out of sheer luck.”
Ms Defina is concerned that the land opposite the station has been allocated to be made into parking spaces and will thus destroy the frogs’ environment.
“If they move it, the frogs will lose their environment, meaning they will relocate. But Cranbourne is such an up and coming community, everything is becoming shops,” she said.
VicTrack and Metro Trains Melbourne were both alerted to the issue and environment officers from both organisations were sent down to inspect the area.
Chris Whitefield from Metro said there were no plans for any works.
“Before construction for any project across the network begins, a full environmental review takes place to determine any detrimental impact the project may have to the environment, including plants and animals,” he said.
“Having said that, there are no plans to develop any part of Cranbourne station, including the city-side end of the existing car park where the frogs can be found.”
VicTrack reported that the frogs were common native frogs and not endangered, so no further action was required at this time.
Ms Defina encourages all residents to make their backyards frog friendly, which would benefit everyone in the long run.
“I’d like to see people not only thinking about cats, dogs and birds; I’d like to see them think about the smaller things that are often quite hidden,” she said.
“They’re great because they eat all the bugs – mosquitoes, flies and spiders and there’s nothing better than sitting down and listening to the frogs croaking while it’s raining or after the rain.”
