While most of us look out for a partner to get into a relationship or just for a fling, Romeo, an 11-year-old Bolivian water frog, is looking for the love of his life for a decade now. And, it is for a big cause – to protect his species from imminent extinction.
A fundraising campaign has been started after online dating site Match.com and Global Wildlife Conservation joined hands to help find a female Sehuencas water frog.
The campaigners hope to collect $15,000 before February 14 to aid the Bolivian Amphibian Initiative which aims at protecting, monitoring and generating data on endangered species in Bolivia.
Romeo's Match.com profile has been created to find him a mate and also for spreading awareness about the condition of his species.
Cloning is one of the options a researcher who is a part of this project would use to preserve the amphibian species if other options fail to work out, a Daily Mail report revealed.
The species of this Bolivian water frog is endangered and threatened by various environmental and ecological issues, as well as climate change and habitat loss, like many other species of birds and animals.
The Match.com profile of Romeo is very adorable. He describes himself as a "pretty simple guy". The profile states:
"Well, hi there. I'm Romeo. I'm a Sehuencas (pronounced "say-when-cuss") Water Frog and, not to start this off super heavy or anything, but I'm literally the last of my species. I know - intense stuff. But that's why I'm on here - in hopes of finding my perfect match so we can save our own kind (no pressure ;)).
I'm a pretty simple guy. I tend to keep to myself and have the best nights just chilling at home, maybe binge-watching the waters around me. I do love food, though, and will throw a pair of pants on and get out of the house if there's a worm or snail to be eaten!
As for who I'm looking for, I'm not picky. I just need another Sehuencas like myself. Otherwise, my entire existence as we know it is over (no big deal). So, if you're willing to help an old Romeo find his one and only Juliet, donate to my cause so we can get out there and start the search for my one, true match!"
You can check out the little guy's profile and video in here.
The researchers had found Romeo a decade ago and they knew his species was in danger of becoming extinct, but didn't think they wouldn't be able to find a single partner for him over these years, Arturo Munoz, a conservation scientist associated with the Global Wildlife Conservation group, explained.
It was just after a year after Romeo was brought into captivity that he started calling for a mate, but a reduction has been observed in those calls over the years, Munoz revealed.
"We don't want him to lose hope, and we continue to remain hopeful that others are out there, so we can establish a conservation breeding program to save this species," Munoz was quoted by CNN as saying.
We hope Romeo doesn't remain the world's loneliest frog anymore and finds the best match for himself and his species this Valentine's Day.
