The Problem With Frog Legs
The Problem With Frog Legs
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Protest stories and photos - April 30, 2010
Protest stories and photos - July 2 & 3, 2010
Protest stories and photos - September 4th, 2010
Introduction
The worldwide trade in frog legs is massive, and is undoubtedly a significant contributor to the decline and extinction of amphibian populations worldwide. For example, Europeans alone consumed roughly 120 million frogs per year in the 1990's. The Californian gold-miners nearly ate the California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii) to extinction in the 19th century, and the species has never fully recovered.
The frog legs trade is problematic whether the frogs are wild-caught or farm-raised. Specifically, the harvest of wild frogs leads to depletion of wild populations, and trade in farm-raised frogs leads to the spread of harmful infectious diseases and invasive species.
The depletion of wild populations
The trade in wild-caught frogs has been driving frog populations to near extinction since the 19th century, when the Californian gold miners decimated populations of California Red-Legged Frogs (Rana draytonii) in the 1800's. The harvesting of amphibians for the food trade is often unregulated, and in many developing countries (like Indonesia and Thailand) is
likely a primary contributor to amphibian declines. India actually banned the export of frog legs in the 1980's because mosquito populations were increasing as the frog populations declined. The French ate so many of their native frogs that the government had to ban the eating of native frogs, and now France relies on imports from Indonesia and other distant countries. The Goliath Frog (Conraua goliath), the world's largest frog, is being hunted to near extinction in western Africa.
Recommended Reading:
Eating Frogs to Extinction by Warkentin et al. (2009).
Challenges in Evaluating
the Impact of the Trade in
Amphibians and Reptiles
on Wild Populations by Schlaepfer et al. (2005).
Fijian Frog Species Eaten To Extinction - Fiji Times
Canapes To Extinction - Defenders of Wildlife (2011)
Impact of international frog' legs trade on biodiversity (2012: Open letter to all Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES))
Frog legs and the spread of infectious diseases
Even in the most developed countries, there are virtually no protocols in place to ensure that diseased amphibians do not get imported or exported. American Bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) are commonly farmed and transported worldwide. They are known carriers of the amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) and thus are likely to be primary contributors to the global spread of chytridiomycosis, a disease that has decimated amphibian populations worldwide. In a recent study, 62% of the captive-raised bullfrogs sampled in shops in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco were infected with the chytrid fungus. These three cities alone have been importing over five million amphibians per year.
Recommended Reading:
Bullfrogs in US Markets (Schloegel et al. 2009)
Frog Legs Trade and Pathogens (Gratwicke et al. 2009)
Chytridiomycosis and Lessons Learned (Kriger & Hero 2009)
Infected bullfrogs in Uruguay (Mazzoni et al. 2003)
Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in the live frog trade of Telmatobius (Anura: Ceratophryidae) in the tropical Andes (Catenazzi et al. 2010)
American University's Trade Environment Database Case Study
Frog legs and the spread of invasive species
American Bullfrogs are the frog species most commonly farmed worldwide. They are also quite adept at establishing populations in areas to which they have been introduced, and they have become invasive species in at least 15 countries worldwide. Bullfrogs compete with and eat native amphibians. Actually, bullfrogs eat all types of native wildlife: frogs, bats, snakes and more. If you eat frog legs in an American or European restaurant, there is a high chance it is this fungus-prone invasive species, which is native to the eastern United States.
"I found Egyptian, Armenian, Indonesian, Vietnamese and of course Chinese companies offering wholesale imports."
--Alma Legacy-Levens
Who eats frog legs?
Frogs are eaten in many countries, by people of extremely different cultural backgrounds.
Indonesia
The photo below (courtesy of Alejandro Rosselli) is from a street market in Jakarta, Indonesia. The Indonesians are responsible for 45% of the world's frog legs exports, and the domestic frog legs trade is thought to be at least as large. Most of Indonesia's frogs are wild-caught.
Peru
Here's a video of the Amphibian Avenger Lucy Cooke investigating frog frappes in downtown Lima, Peru:
Uncle Sam
Our very own President Barack Obama munching into a frog's leg while on the campaign trail, likely oblivious to the ecological damage being done:
Obama photo by S. Loeb AFP/Getty Images.
India
In India, the Indian Bullfrog (Hoplobatrachus tigerinus) is known as the Jumping Chicken, and is systematically hunted during the monsoon season -- even though it is illegal. Learn more here.
Florida
The citizens of Fellsmere, FL have a frog-eating festival each year intended to fulfill the "recreational needs of the children in Fellsmere". If you would like to help SAVE THE FROGS! fulfill the educational needs of the adults of Fellsmere, please contact us. We need people on the ground at their January 2011 festival to distribute literature and educate the festival attendees and promoters. The festival is responsible for the death of 80,000 frogs each year. In 2012 the festival sold all 4,000 pounds of frog legs they had in stock.
Nigeria, Benin, Burkina Faso
The West Africans like to eat frogs as well. The picture below is from a market in Kopie. "Whereas particular West African tribes have always used frogs as food, medicine or for cultural reasons, a current increase in frog hunting seems to be new. In West Africa the frog trade was mainly restricted to local or national scale. However, there is now an intense cross-border trade of frogs from Benin to Nigeria. This potentially unsustainable harvest apparently has dramatically increased during the past decade. The current frog trade may be taken as an indication that other protein sources (e.g. fish, mammals) used in the past have decreased. As savanna frogs are key-species for the functioning of temporary savanna waters, their decrease or even local extinction are likely to have unforeseen and negative ecological consequences, including effects on human welfare and health."
-- Photo and text courtesy of Meike Mohneke.
Read more about the West African frog legs trade and see some incredible photos on this National Geographic blog post. Read the full report in this TRAFFIC Bulletin (see the PDF's pages 29-40).
Cambodia
Learn all about the Cambodian frog legs trade: Fauna & Flora International released an Investigation into Frog Consumption and Trade in Cambodia written by its Species, Habitats and Ecosystems Team.
China
One of the world's largest consumers of frog legs, many of which are imported from neighboring Southeast Asian countries, China also has a proliferating frog farm industry. This photo by Bai Changming shows American Bullfrogs being sold by Wal-Mart in China.
Frog Legs Victories
Bernardus Lodge & Winery
In March 2011, SAVE THE FROGS! supporter Karen Benzel informed us that the Bernardus Lodge & Winery had plans to feature wild-caught frog legs at an upcoming event. We called Bernardus, told them that frogs were rapidly disappearing and requested they not serve frog legs. Chef Cal Stamenov decided not to order frogs for the event or in the future. This demonstrates the importance of environmental education and SAVE THE FROGS' campaigns to raise awareness of frog extinctions. You can't fix a problem if nobody knows the problem exists...but you CAN fix it if they do know!
VICTORY FOR THE FROGS!
"We are fortunate to have an organization such as SAVE THE FROGS! in our local community. I appreciate you taking the time to contact me and share your expertise of the ecological damage created by the frog markets. I wish you the best of success in sharing your knowledge, spreading education and fundraising on behalf of frogs in the future."
--Gina Martin, Assistant to Chef Cal Stamenov, Bernardus Lodge
Wegmans Supermarkets
Because of the hard work of SAVE THE FROGS! volunteers, Wegman's supermarket chain has discontinued sales of frog legs at their 76 locations. This makes Wegman's the first supermarket in the world to remove frog legs from their shelves for environmental reasons. You can read our letter that prompted Wegmans' decision...and then send a similar letter to a frog-leg selling supermarket in your neighborhood!
Restaurant Gary Danko
In April 2010, San Francisco's Restaurant Gary Danko became the first restaurant in the world to remove frog legs from their menus. They removed the wild-caught Pig Frogs from their menus after SAVE THE FROGS! asked them to do so.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are frog legs ok to eat?
No. The frogs are either taken out of the wild, or they are raised in farms; the farmed frogs have high rates of chytrid infection, and they are often large non-native species that prey upon native frogs. The American Bullfrog is the most commonly farmed frog around the world. The bullfrogs commonly escape their rearing facilities and establish populations outside their native range, which is the eastern USA and Canada. The bullfrogs eat native frogs, birds, bats, snakes and other wildlife, and spread diseases. Many bullfrogs are shipped live to the USA, where they infect our native frog populations, causing irreparable harm.
SAVE THE FROGS! requests that you not purchase frog legs or support businesses that sell them. Remember though, it is up to you to educate that business about the harm being caused by the frog legs trade!
Is this an important issue?
Yes. History shows that humans eat many species of wildlife to extinction. America consumes 20% of the world's frog legs. We believe that we can significantly reduce the number of restaurants serving frog legs, and thus our frog legs campaign has achievable goals.
"Leg by leg the ecosystem will crumble on top of us if we fail to act".
But people have to eat something, right?
Yes. And the six billion humans on the planet need to be intelligent about what they eat. In America, there are many alternatives to frog legs. The reality is that frog legs in America are generally eaten as a joke by people who are completely unaware of the ecological damage being wrought by their impulsive and whimsical menu decision.
What about France? Frog legs are a part of their culture!
France nearly ate their native frogs to extinction, which is why they are no longer allowed to eat native frogs. Cultures must be changed once they are no longer beneficial; thus, Fijians and Papua New Guineans do not often complain that they are no longer allowed to cannibalize their fellow humans. Similarly, Japanese, Norwegians and Icelanders claim they should be allowed to hunt whales because it is "part of their culture". Eating an animal to extinction, however, is inexcusable and should not be allowed. Read this London Times article about the frog legs black market in France.
In summary: France is on our list.
Salmonella in the Frog Legs Trade
The FDA has banned the importation of frog legs from all but one Bangladeshi company due to Salmonella. Shipments from companies in China and 7 other Asian countries have also been prohibited. Read more here.
Our Frog Legs Campaign In The News
The more people know about the problems associated with the frog legs trade, the less demand there will be for frog legs. SAVE THE FROGS! does our best to make sure our campaign makes major news outlets. Below are some of the articles highlighting our campaign.
ABC NEWS covers our Frog Legs Protests
Conor Finnegan of ABC News interviewed SAVE THE FROGS! Founder Dr. Kerry Kriger about the increase in American's consumption of frog legs. Read the article here, and a transcript of the interview here.
Chicago Tribune Covers Frog Legs Victory
Bill Daley of the Chicago Tribune wrote this story about Restaurant Gary Danko removing frog legs from their menu.
Save The Frogs on cover of France's Le Monde
Catherine Vincent wrote this article that appeared on the cover page of France's largest paper. The article highlights our work, and the problems with the frog legs trade, of which France is the largest participant.
SAVE THE FROGS! on John Tesh's website
John Tesh helped get the word out about our campaign to end the ecologically damaging frog legs trade. Here's the article:
The Popular Dish, Frog Legs, Is Pushing Frogs to The Brink of Extinction
Black & White Interviews Dr. Kerry Kriger
Richard Scordato interviewed SAVE THE FROGS! Founder Dr. Kerry Kriger about the Uncle Julio's protests. You can read a transcript of the interview here.
Radio Interview on Crop To Cuisine
Dov Hirsch of Crop To Cuisine interviewed
SAVE THE FROGS! Founder Dr. Kerry Kriger about the rise of the frog legs trade in America. You can listen to it here (or download the mp3 by right clicking).
Frog Legs Protests in Florida
This article in the Broward Palm Beach New Times highlighted our first frog legs protests in the state of Florida: "Frog Lovers Protest Uncle Julio's in Boca Raton for Serving Frog Legs".
The Alien
By Katie Saporita, Age 13
From the 200 SAVE THE FROGS! Poetry Contest
I'm just a humble frog
Hiding from the aliens.
They invaded my forest
And eat us with no mercy.
I don't know what to do
To hide from this creature.
And I try to survive
But there seems to be more.
Bon Appetit!
As I sit upon your plate
And your mouth begins to salivate
Yesterday my brother died
And today my legs are fried.
With a fork in your hand,
You must not understand.
You aren't just eating just one frog
But killing an entire race.
So I hope you'll reconsider,
As you lift me towards your face.
SAVE THE FROGS!
-- By Juanita Kochel
From the 2011 SAVE THE FROGS! Poetry Contest
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Frog Legs