By John DeFore
Green Right Now
Last year may have been the Year of the Frog, but it appears that twelve months of focus on amphibian-threatening disease haven’t eased one threat to Kermit’s cousins: Human beings may simply gobble the survivors all up.
Researchers at the University of Adelaide in South Australia say that frogs are in danger of extinction partly because of human consumption; they say over-harvesting — coupled with more significant natural threats currently endangering wild frog populations, like “disease, habitat loss, and climate change” — are putting frogs on track to the kind of dwindling populations seen in certain kinds of fish.
It isn’t only the snail-eating French whose appetites threaten frogs. Associate Professor Corey Bradshaw, part of the Adelaide team, notes that they’re eaten around the world, particularly in Asia, and that in Europe even school cafeterias have been known to serve frog legs. The study asserts that human consumption has now reached the point at which “at least 200 million and maybe over 1 billion” frogs are consumed every year.
The scientists are urging governments to require certification of frog harvests, so the frog trade can move to more sustainable models than the year-round pattern that has developed. Farming frogs specifically for human consumption, they’ve noted, would be better than going after already-threatened wild populations.
Those of us who don’t live in frog-chomping regions but want to do our part might take a look at our article from last year about making frogs and other slimy critters at home in your yard.
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