Scientists and vets are urging the president to afford the world’s most traded species better protections
France’s hunger for frogs’ legs is “destructive to nature” and endangering amphibians in Asia and south-east Europe, a group of scientists and vets have warned.
More than 500 experts from research, veterinary and conservation groups have called on Emmanuel Macron, the French president, to “end the overexploitation of frogs” and afford the most traded species better protections.
The EU imports the equivalent of 80-200 million frogs each year, the majority of which are consumed in France. Most come from wild populations in Indonesia, Turkey and Albania, as well as from farms in Vietnam, according to a study by Robin des Bois and Pro Wildlife, two conservation nonprofits that organised the letter.
The practice is “not at all in line” with the EU’s wildlife strategy, said Sandra Altherr, the head of science at Pro Wildlife. “It’s absurd: the natural frog populations here in Europe are protected under EU law. But the EU still tolerates the collection of millions of animals in other countries – even if this threatens the frog populations there.”
The frogs bred for consumption are typically bull frogs or pig frogs. These are not the endangered frogs. Endangered frogs are tiny, their entire body weight is probably less than a single leg of a bull frog and its not commercially viable.
The endangered frogs are native to places like South America, where they are suffering from a loss of habitat and from chemical pesticide/herbicide run off from farms that are killing them off. In other regions they also suffer from light pollution.
I doubt its that the French are to blame, especially when east asia has a huge consumption of frog legs
Nice. Thanks for some info, and yeah in with you on the doubt that it’s the French. Single handedly, at least.