Team Herald
MARGAO: On Save the Frogs Day, GOACAN through its ‘Save the Frog’ public awareness campaign, urged the public to avoid consuming frog meat or supporting establishments that sell frog meat delicacies marketed as ‘jumping chicken’.
Expressing concern over the drastic reduction in frog populations, GOACAN coordinator Roland Martins emphasised the need to restore frogs in paddy fields, wells, and other areas.
He highlighted the crucial ecological role frogs play in maintaining environmental balance, particularly in controlling mosquito population that spread vector-borne diseases like dengue and malaria.
The campaign noted that both hunting practices and the use of fertilisers in fields have contributed to the dwindling frog population in the State. As part of the awareness efforts, leaflets were distributed containing messages about frog conservation and reminding consumers that catching, killing, and eating frogs is banned under the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972.
The campaign builds on long-standing concerns that were highlighted in previous years, when arrests of frog traders revealed one of Goa’s well-kept secrets. It was discovered that frogs smuggled into Goa were being ferried to select restaurants and establishments who sold the meat at premium prices.
These commercial establishments would prepare frog meat dishes like ‘jumping chicken’ despite the legal prohibition.
Condemning the practice, animal rights activists noted that an insatiable restaurant demand for illegal frog meat ensured lucrative returns for poachers. Various species including the Indian pond frog, grass frog, and common Indian toad were being poached to meet this demand, which was reportedly fuelled by both locals and tourists.
Investigations revealed that hunters typically operated at the beginning of rainy season when male frogs emerge from hibernation to call for mates. These hunters would capture frogs at night, using torchlight to spot and temporarily immobilise the amphibians before securing them in gunny sacks and selling them to hoteliers. The processing methods were particularly cruel, with the legs being chopped off while the frogs were still alive, as only the legs were used in cooking.
‘Save the Frog’ activists warned that frog meat consumption carried serious health risks due to toxic pesticide residues that accumulate in the frogs’ fat deposits, potentially triggering paralytic strokes, cancer, kidney failures, and other deformities.
They also pointed out that since frog meat is contraband, it is typically processed in completely unsanitary conditions without any regulation whatsoever.