Welcome to Learning English, a daily 30-minute program from the Voice of America.

I'm Katie Weaver.

And I'm Mario Ritter Jr.

This program is designed for English learners, so we speak a little slower and we use words

and phrases especially written for people learning English.

On today's program, John Russell reports on an ancient animal in South America that is disappearing.

Cahey and Andrew Smith tell about former President Jimmy Carter's efforts in Afghanistan.

Jill Robbins and I report on artificial intelligence being used to help people with disabilities.

Then, the lesson of the day. But first...

A large frog species that lived alongside dinosaurs and is considered a living fossil, is now losing ground in its native Chile.

Climate change and human actions are damaging the creature's living environment or habitat.

The helmeted water toad is one of the largest frogs in the world, growing up to over 30 centimeters

in length and weighing up to one kilogram.

The amphibian has experienced little genetic change for millions of years.

But now its future is at risk, scientists say. It's sad that a species

that managed to coexist with dinosaurs, that managed to resist a mass extinction, is now threatened by

human beings, said Melissa Cancino.

Cancino is an animal doctor and founder of Projecto Amphibia, a group that works on amphibian research

and education in Chile. The helmeted water toads environment covers a large part of the country,

but its population is suspected to have decreased by at least 30% since 1990.

Matthias Fondes, another member of Projecto Amphibia, has seen the damage firsthand.

This estuary runs through the whole city and has plenty of illegal runoffs, he said, as he

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