Animal Planet's “The Vanishing Frog” 
Produced by Discovery Studios

Animal Planet and Clorox joined forces to focus worldwide attention on the deadly fungus that is destroying frogs and other amphibian populations around the world through a multimedia project called THE VANISHING FROG. The film, produced by Discovery Studios, sent Animal Planet’s Jeff Corwin on a worldwide mission that uncovered clues on the frog’s deadly plight while also unifying viewers with a common cause of environmental protection of wildlife resources. THE VANISHING FROG premiered this fall during Leap Year.

From the rocky streams of coastal Australia to the jungles of South America -- and even to the American West, the world’s frogs are mysteriously vanishing at alarming rates. Frogs and their relatives have thrived on earth for more than 360 million years, but now they’re under serious threat. Experts believe that as many as one-third to one-half of the planet’s 6,000 amphibian species are in danger of disappearing – victims of one of the most significant mass extinctions since the dinosaurs. Why are amphibians in such dire straits? And can we take action to save them? Jeff Corwin, who has experienced the most mammoth of mammals, reptiles and marine life worldwide, takes on these questions in the documentary THE VANISHING FROG.

“Frogs are incredibly amazing creatures with a variety of astonishing skills and innate abilities,” commented Corwin. “The plight of the small amphibians is – unfortunately – quite large. Frogs have been with us since the dinosaurs; they are a critical part of the ecosystem and now they are disappearing.”

“Jeff is so passionate about raising awareness for this crisis and has such a deep knowledge of the issues affecting these fascinating creatures that he is the perfect person to take us on this journey of discovery,” noted Marjorie Kaplan, president and general manager of Animal Planet. “We're thrilled that our partner Clorox has been an ardent advocate for the amphibian crisis and is taking that commitment even further by partnering with us to produce THE VANISHING FROG documentary project.”

Clorox, whose namesake bleach* is used in the field everyday in the battle to save the frogs, last fall became the first corporate sponsor of the “Year of the Frog” and signed on to THE VANISHING FROG project while it was still in development.

Right now, the only hope of saving frogs is to rescue them-- to capture them in the wild and take them into protective custody. Frogs that are rescued are treated with anti-fungal medicine. Anything else that has contact with water during the rescue is treated with a bleach solution, from boots and clothing to instruments and transport containers to help control the spread of fungus to new, uncontaminated areas.

“The power of Animal Planet to raise awareness of the amphibian crisis could save dozens of amphibian species from immediate extinction,” said Benno Dorer, vice president and general manager of Clorox’s Cleaning Division. “The only question for us was ‘how can we help’ and ‘when can we start?’”

For additional information about the project, visit www.savethefrog.com.