The frog is one of the largest in the world, and can grow up to 1kg (2.2lb) in weight according to the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), but it was no match for the deadly microscopic fungus.

The chytrid fungus began wreaking havoc in Dominica around 2002, according to researchers.

The frog is also battling for survival on another Caribbean island to the north.

"The disease got to Montserrat as well and completely wiped the species off the map," says Andrew Cunningham, the deputy director of science at the ZSL.

Prof Cunningham says that fortunately some of the frogs were put into captive breeding programmes in Montserrat before they disappeared completely.

He describes the disease as a massive problem, saying it has caused the probable extinction of over 90 species of amphibians globally.

In Dominica, before the fungus struck, harvesting the frog from the wild was a booming business, with studies finding up to 36,000 frogs being hunted each year, according to Ms Brisbane.

After coming under attack by the chytrid fungus, the frog's population took a further hit by the passage of Tropical Storm Erika in 2015 and Hurricane Maria two years later.

"Our forests have essentially grown silent because of the absence of the mountain chicken voice, it was a huge part of our soundscape, of what put us to bed at night," Ms Brisbane says.

Several partners, including ZSL and Dominica's forestry division, have come together as part of the Mountain Chicken Recovery Programme.

During a population count conducted last year in parts of the island the frog was known to inhabit, only 21 frogs were found alive in the wild.

Researchers at ZSL say that while the total number of mountain chicken frogs in Dominica's forest is probably higher than the 21 they located, it is unlikely to add up to more than 30.

"They were one of the apex predators on the island, so losing those has potential ripple effects in terms of pest control," says Benjamin Tapley, a Curator of Herpetology at ZSL.

In March, ZSL announced the appearance of six mountain chicken froglets at London Zoo, after two of the frogs that were brought from Montserrat successfully bred for the first time in five years.

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