Pool frog  (Rana lessonae)

It is not fully understood exactly why the pool frog has disappeared from Britain, but it is likely that draining of wetlands, loss of suitable pools, successional changes to ponds, and growth of over-shading scrub have all contributed. 'Lucky', the last captive specimen from the Norfolk site, died in 1999.

The pool frog is a priority species under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UKBAP), and has been included in English Nature’s Species Recovery Programme (SRP). An action plan was produced following surveys that concluded that the frog was probably extinct in the wild, and evidence increasingly indicated that native status was possible.

If the case for the native status of the pool frog is confirmed, re-introduction of the species to carefully selected sites will be attempted, subject to the necessary permissions. It is most likely that frogs from Sweden would be used for such a reintroduction. Measures to rectify the factors that led to the decline of the species have begun, and would continue alongside the reintroduction efforts.