The breeding staff was wearing a cute badge, so I got curious and asked them, and they said, ``It's 2008 Year of the Frog.'' Frog year? ? ? This year was supposed to be the year of the rat, right? ? ?

It seems that not only brown bears but also frogs and other amphibians are rapidly decreasing. It is estimated that one-third to one-half of all amphibian species are at risk of extinction. This is apparently the badge for the amphibian conservation campaign ``2008 The Year of the Frog.''

Living in the rich natural environment of Sahoro, we have come to take it for granted that there are frogs, but will it become an old tale, saying, ``Once upon a time, we could hear a loud chorus of frogs?''

As I previously reported in ``Signs of Spring,'' you can still see many frog eggs in Sahoro. With the signs of spring, I think that in order for the story of the frog to continue for decades or even centuries, we need to steadily accumulate even the smallest things.

Planning/T