Daijiworld Media Network - Karwar (SP)

Karwar, Jun 26: The situation in coastal areas of Uttara Kannada has turned so severe that the frogs may be afraid of opening their mouths to croak. Because like fish, frogs are also in high demand now. The increasing demand for live frogs has dismayed nature lovers.

Indian bullfrogs which have so far survived in Uttara Kannada district are in demand in Goa and Maharashtra. Not only Goans, even foreign visitors have fallen in love with the meat of this frog, which is popularly known with the name, 'jumping chicken'.

There is ban on hunting of this frog in Karnataka and Goa. As such, the frogs reach eateries and restaurants illegally and then get marketed as 'jumping chicken'.

Goa has strict measures in place against catching of Indian bullfrogs. Therefore, the restaurant operators have turned towards Karwar to improve their earnings. Depending upon the size, a frog may fetch anywhere between Rs 600 to 1,000.

Indian bullfrogs breed at the beginning of the monsoon season. They come out at this time of the year. As these frogs are larger in size as compared to other frogs, they are easy to identify. Therefore, the hunters catch hold of the frogs alive.

There is information that these frogs do not get slaughtered in advance for separating their skin and flesh. The hunters need to catch them alive. In restaurants too, their legs are in high demand than other body parts. Therefore, their legs are separated and the remaining body part is thrown away. As the legs of these frogs have high content of flesh, they are used for preparing soups, fry etc, it is said.

Citizens of China, Japan, USA, Australia, Turkey, Tibet etc are ready to pay high price to the legs of Indian bullfrogs. Even people from Mumbai and West Bengal have been carried away by the taste of 'jumping chicken' delicacy. The increasing demand for the frogs in Goan restaurants is causing the deaths of more and more frogs. Once the frogs are caught, they are smuggled to restaurants in Goa and Mumbai.

Assistant conservator of forests here, Manjunath Navi, said that the department had no information about illegal transportation of frogs till a few persons found smuggling them were caught along with a number of frogs at the district border with Goa two years back. After the fact that frogs are being marketed as delicacies came to the department's knowledge, strict steps are undertaken and the forest department has been keeping close vigil at the borders, he explained.

He said that Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation depot manager and other staff have been kept informed about this and that they have been asked to convey information in case they come across suspects. A person from Ankola was nabbed earlier and booked for this offence. This case is before the court, he explained.