Forest dept warns against bullfrog poaching, patrolling teams on alert

Margao: With the monsoon bringing bullfrogs out in abundance, the forest department has issued a stern warning against poaching of the protected species, cautioning that patrolling teams will be deployed round the clock through the season.

Mahanand Paryekar, range forest officer in-charge of the mobile squad in Margao, said bullfrogs are classified as a protected species under Schedule II of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and that poaching attracts a penalty of up to Rs 1 lakh, imprisonment of up to three months, or both.

Officials pointed out that the indiscriminate killing of frogs for their meat has led to a drastic decline in their population across the state. Catching, killing or selling frogs, or serving frog meat at eating establishments, contravenes the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act. Despite the ban, frog legs continue to be sold clandestinely as a delicacy dubbed ‘jumping chicken’ in restaurants along the coastal belt.

They also added that the killing of frogs has led to an imbalance in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, a spike in snakes venturing into human settlement areas, and the proliferation of insects responsible for diseases such as malaria.

Goa consumer action network (Goacan) convenor Roland Martins appealed to the public to stop slaughtering frogs. "Indiscriminate use of fertilisers has affected the lives of frogs. Frogs feed on mosquitoes responsible for malaria and other vector-borne diseases. The indiscriminate killing of frogs for their meat is an ecological crime against the food chain and is the cause of the drastic decline of their population," he said.