Back in 2016, I was lucky enough to spend three weeks in Panama, Central America’s southernmost country, nestled between Costa Rica and Colombia. My dad was living there while his partner taught at a school in Panama City, and I was excited to venture outside Europe for the first time. 

But beyond the country’s incredibly famous canal, I arrived relatively naïve to the experiences waiting for me. What I found was an abundance of natural beauty and diverse wildlife. On one guided tour I saw both dolphins and sloths within minutes – a combination only found in Latin American ecosystems where coast meets forest. 

Something I didn’t see, however, was the iconic Panamanian golden frog, the country’s national symbol of good luck and fortune. By the time I visited, the species was officially listed as Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and hadn’t been seen in the wild since 2009 after a devastating fungal disease swept through its habitat. 

Today, there is renewed hope for the species following a rewilding programme by the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project. Researchers placed 100 captive-bred frogs into monitored outdoor enclosures to better understand how animals raised in human care adapt to natural conditions, especially as the fungal disease remains a threat. Following the 12-week trial, many of the survivors were released into the wild. 

Hope for the programme's success has been bolstered by the survival of three other frog species released under the Smithsonian’s Tropical Amphibian Research Initiative in 2025. 

Only time will tell whether the Panamanian golden frog makes a permanent return to its native habitat, but this ongoing programme is a positive step towards preserving Panama’s outstanding biodiversity.