Ruud Kleinpaste (aka Bug-Man) is also a Frog-man. Ruud is very keen to help to conserve our special New Zealand frogs.
Dr Jane Goodall DBE recently visited NZ on her 'Hope for Nature' lecture tour and invited Phil Bishop as one of her 'local heroes' and fellow frog ambassador to present a talk at Wellington Zoo on the plight of NZ frogs.
Dr Goodall is keen to help conserve frogs throughout the world and feels that their future survival will depend on the conservation efforts of our young people. For more information about "Roots and Shoots" and the Jane Goodall Institute click here.
Suzy Catois a self-confessed frog enthusiast. During New Zealand Frog Week in 2002 Suzy worked all day at Auckland Zoo helping kids and parents to identify New Zealand frogs and understand the terrible future that our frogs are facing. Although Suzy has taken some time off recently to produce her own tadpoles she will soon be back in action raising the public awareness of these special animals.
Boh Runga, eldest sister in the Runga family,is the lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter for the kiwi band Stellar which released it's debut album, Mix, in 2000. Boh used to have frogs as a child and has a sincere interest in New Zealand's native flora and fauna. She is a 'rock chick' with a passion for the creepy crawlies - especially frogs!
Rebecca Gilmore is a trained zoologist-turned artist and has produced a number of exquisite paintings of New Zealand animals (click here to see her gallery). She has painted several frogs before and is soon to embark upon a painting of a rare Leiopelma to celebrate The Year of the Frog.
Kermit - its tough being a frog and a celebrity. Kermit (who turned 55 this year) is very actively involved in frog affairs. He supported the Year of the Frog and made guest appearances around the globe in 2008. Kermit has starred in six feature films, as well as an episode of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" and the Weezer video "Keep Fishin'".
Click here to see Jeff Corwin's segment on the Amphibian Extinction Crisis
Sir David Attenborough was the Patron of 2008 Year of the Frog and you can read his supporting letter here.
