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O 14 May 2018, during observations in Laganas (37 ̊43ʹ43.1ʺ N, 20 ̊ 52ʹ26.2ʺ E, Zakynthos, Greece) on the Ionian coast, aggregations of freshly metamorphosed toads were found on the sandy shores and shallows at the estuary of a small watercourse (Fig. 1A, B). Based on morphological characteristics, individuals were identified as green toads Bufotes viridis, sensu lato in view of the sympatric occurrence of B. variabilis and B. viridis in parts of Greece and the unsettled systematic status of the former taxon (Stöck et al., 2006). In the course of a thorough inspection of the site, several thousand dead individuals of this species were found, along with numerous living toadlets (Fig. 1C). The cause of death was poisoning by stabilised chlorine granules, usually used for swimming pool maintenance, which most probably had been poured directly onto the largest aggregations of these amphibians. Granules had also been poured precisely along the margins between the banks and watercourse, so that the toads would not be able to move away from the watercourse (Fig. 1D). The mouth of the watercourse is used intensively by tourists as a place for walks along the sea and to hotels. Thus, in our opinion, this action was deliberate and most probably done by the staff of neighbouring hotels. The green toad, categorised in the National Red Data Books of Greece as a species of least-concern, is also one of seven amphibian species in Greece protected under national legislation (protected under Presidential Decree 67/1981) (Sotiropoulos & Lymberakis, 2015), as well as being protected by international law: the Bern Convention (Annex II) and the Habitats Directive of the European Union (Annex IV). Except in the northern parts of its range this is a common or numerous species; however, the basic trend for its populations has been defined as decreasing (amphibiaweb.org, 2019). Among the threats to amphibians in Greece, next to climate change, human activity has been cited, which includes agriculture, pollution, progressive residential development, and the negative impact of tourism (Sotiropoulos & Lymberakis 2015). The current example is clearly a case of persecution and may result from an aversion to amphibians and/or the treatment amphibians as if they were pests. In a study conducted by Prokop et al. (2016), almost 31 % of high school students declared their willingness, upon encountering a frog in a garden, to remove it, while 6 % were willing to kill it. Aversion to, and fear of, amphibians is deeply rooted The Herpetological Bulletin 150, 2019: 33-34

Mass extermination of green toad metamorphs (Bufotes viridis) in Greece