Mountain chicken frog on the Caribbean island of Dominica is on the verge of becoming extinct

A frog that has been cooked and eaten for decades on the Caribbean island of Dominica is on the verge of becoming extinct, but there is now a frantic push to try to save it. The mountain chicken frog (Leptodactylus fallax) was once considered Dominica's unofficial national dish, according to locals.

"When I used to cook it, I would just cut it and put it into a broth," says Alain Mellow as he sits selling fruit and vegetables in Roseau, the bustling capital city of Dominica. It tasted "just like chicken", according to Mr Mellow, who is now in his 70s, and believes the nutrients from the mountain chicken frog have contributed to his good health.Another local name for the mountain chicken is "crapaud" (the French word for toad), a reminder of Dominica's past as a French colony.

There were different ways to cook the four-legged creature. Some preferred to include it in a stew, while others salivated over the golden-brown fried option. In this country nicknamed "the nature island" because of a vast presence of varied flora and fauna, the frog's importance is highlighted by its presence on the national coat of arms.

However, anyone visiting a restaurant on the Eastern Caribbean island now, or over the last two decades, may not have even heard of the mountain chicken frog as a delicacy. Kenasher Valmond, who works at a café near the sea port in Roseau, says she has never eaten mountain chicken."I've never seen it," says Ms Valmond, who is in her 20s. "I just heard people speaking about it."

According to experts, the main reason for the frog's disappearance from dining room tables and its decline in popularity among younger people is an infectious amphibian disease called chytridiomycosis.