“Cruelty”: the French addiction to frog legs turned into problems

Species are under threat

France’s predilection for frog legs is endangering species in Asia, animal rights campaigners say. Scientists and veterinarians are calling on authorities to provide better protection for the world’s most traded species.

A thirst for frog legs in France is “devastating to nature” and endangers the lives of amphibians in Asia and south-eastern Europe, a group of scientists and veterinarians has warned.

According to The Guardian, more than 500 experts from research, veterinary and conservation organizations have called on French President Emmanuel Macron to “end the overexploitation of frogs” and provide better protection for the most traded species.

The EU imports the equivalent of 80-200 million frogs a year, most of which are consumed in France. Most come from wild populations in Indonesia, Turkey and Albania, as well as farms in Vietnam, according to research by Robin de Bois and Pro Wildlife, two conservation nonprofits that sponsored the letter.

The practice is “not at all consistent” with the EU’s wildlife strategy, said Sandra Altherr, scientific director at Pro Wildlife. “This is absurd: natural populations of frogs here in Europe are protected by EU law. But the EU still tolerates the collection of millions of animals in other countries – even if it threatens frog populations there.”

France eats more frog legs – often fried in batter or sautéed with garlic and parsley – than any other EU country. Scientists say France should push for global protections for vulnerable frog species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites), which aims to stop illegal trade in plants and animals.

A group of 46 environmental NGOs made a similar request to the French environment ministry in February.

Research shows that some species of frogs are already suffering. According to the letter to Macron, the fanged river frog (Limnonectes macrodon) appears to have disappeared from commercial imports into France, while two more common species – the crabeater frog (Fejervarya cancrivora) and the rice frog (Fejervarya limnocharis) – are in decline due to intensive commercial supply over the years.

Frogs also play an important role in ecosystems and on farms, The Guardian recalls. Tadpoles can improve water quality in ponds, and frogs can help farmers use fewer pesticides. They can also help control infectious diseases by eating mosquitoes.

Alain Moussou, president of Veterinarians for Biodiversity, the third group that organized the letter, said a large number of veterinarians had joined the initiative. “They are sensitive to the cruelty that exists in this market and are concerned about the ecological imbalance caused by declining amphibian populations,” he says.