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230

France’s appetite for frogs’ legs is endangering species in Asia, say campaigners (www.theguardian.com)

submitted 9 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

40 comments fedilink hide all child comments

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.”

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[–] [email protected] 45 points 9 months ago (3 children)

French dude here

I can’t even remember any French recipes for frog legs. The only frog legs I ever ate were in a Chinese restaurant, with bitter sweet sauce.

TBH I don’t even know a single restaurant that have frog legs on the menu, and I can’t even think of a grocery store that sells frog legs.

I eat two dozen of snails a month though. Are they endangered too?

TL,DR I call this article absolute bullshit.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 9 months ago (1 children)

It could very well be tourists coming over who eat them.

Garlic snail is fucking amazing.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Garlic snot

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

Reminds me of childhood

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago

Yep, tourist restaurants offer it as an attraction mostly.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

I know a couple restaurants but it's very niche for sure

[–] [email protected] 39 points 9 months ago (2 children)

This is an entirely uninformed question: would it not be easy to breed frogs for consumption like we do other animals?

[–] [email protected] 13 points 9 months ago (2 children)

They like the hunt.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 9 months ago

The frogs or the french?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 9 months ago

Honhonhon 🍴

[–] Varyk 10 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

It says they get the frogs from Vietnamese farms in part.

And I don't see any evidence that the frogs are actually endangered, that sounds like a supposition.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 9 months ago (2 children)

The thing with frogs is that they're damned good at reproduction. Of course some of them will be threatened, I'm not doubting it even though the article doesn't present evidence. But yeah, farming shouldn't be too hard. For many frog species at least.

[–] Varyk 5 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

My doubt in endangered frog populations comes from the lack of evidence in the article and anecdotal personal experience.

I've traveled to many countries in Asia in recent years, not once having seen the frog dishes crossed off the menu while other dishes frequently are has the ingredients for that dish become scarce.

I was in Cambodia recently and literally had to stop walking for a while because the path I was walking on had thousands of little baby frogs migrating somewhere.

I would need to see you some hard evidence for troubles in asian frog populations

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

cute

the baby frogs I mean

[–] Varyk 2 points 9 months ago

Ha,yea it was great. I thought they were crickets or something at first and was trying to avoid stepping on them and then I crouched down and looked and there were like thousands of these little frogs hopping across the road and I just chilled out and watched them for 10 minutes or something.

It was funny too, cuz it was on a side dirt path of the town that I was walking to that had my favorite frog restaurant.

The ciiiiiiircllllle, circle of liiiiife.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

Nice. Thanks for some info, and yeah in with you on the doubt that it's the French. Single handedly, at least.

[–] [email protected] 31 points 9 months ago (1 children)

??? Frogs breed super quick and aren't that tricky to breed in captivity? I'd even go so far and say that frog meat should be rather sustainable since they eat insects which we can also breed effectively and they in turn can eat refuse from farming. I also haven't ever seen or heard about the frog being of a particular breed or "wild caught" being part of the allure, nor seen it mentioned in a menu. This whole thing is absurd.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago

I guess what makes sense is the breeding programs could be displacing the habits of wild frogs?

Best guess.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 9 months ago (1 children)

totally stupid : i'm french and nobody eat frogs leg : it's just for tourist 🤫

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I always assumed it was just for the tourists but apparently you guys actually do eat snails so god knows.

I assume it's like all the disgusting British food, no one eats spotted dick or blood pudding because frankly it's awful.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

we don't eat snail, we don't eat froggs ! i'm 56 years old, never see any french eat snails or froggs.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (3 children)

I'm surprised to hear that frogs legs were still as popular as the French stereotype.

Frog and other amphibian populations worldwide have been declining due to disease, habitat destruction, and climate change.

It's time for a campaign to make frogs legs unpopular in France, like the campaign against shark fin soup in China.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Same. I'm French and do not know anyone who has ever eaten frogs.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago

Well, I have, and still do, but it’s mostly in Chinese dishes. It’s been a long time since I’ve eaten them in the traditional French way.

[–] idefix 3 points 9 months ago

Last time I ate some was 30 years ago, and that was the last time I saw them on the menu.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 9 months ago

I'm more surprised to hear that we haven't figured out how to raise frogs on farms yet. Seems like a lot easier way to meet demand.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

Eh, why do we need to make them unpopular? I love the taste of frog legs (also mostly know them from european made - east asian cuisine). They are bound to have a very good Feed Conversion Ratio, especially when comparing to beef cattle. If this article is spreading the truth, farming them is possible. So maybe we only need to change it up from hunting to farming.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 9 months ago (2 children)

I had frog legs.

They literally taste like chicken. Nothing special.

French people are very defensive and insecure about their 'culture' though, so I don't expect them to give this up.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

I think it is more tender and sweeter than chicken, it also has a special texture.

But obviously that is not a justification for annihilation of species.

BTW what do they do which the body? Obviously the leg is the best part, but in asia we also cook the body of the frog with it, I hope they don't just throw them away.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

We don't eat frog legs at every meal... I don't even think the average french person will eat them once in 5 years. These are mostly for tourists

[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago

Other French folks have suggested that this is a b******* article, so I believe them. But if in fact France needs more frogs, they can certainly have the invasive bullfrogs in the United States. They are invasive and wiping out other native species and they are big.

I demand to see French frog trappers paddling canoes around the swamps and ponds gigging frogs.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:

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.

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.

More frogs’ legs are eaten in France – often fried in batter or sautéed with garlic and parsley – than in any other country in the EU.

Alain Moussu, the president of the Vétérinaires pour la Biodiversité, a third group that organised the letter, said veterinarians have joined the initiative in large numbers.

“They are both sensitive to the cruelty that prevails in this market and concerned about the ecological imbalances caused by the collapse of amphibian populations,” he said.

The original article contains 404 words, the summary contains 172 words. Saved 57%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Imagine the riot if we try to take frog legs away from the fucking French.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I don't know. I think I ate some once. Don't know anyone that actually eat some often. Bet it's mostly tourist traps selling them.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago (4 children)

Wait...is it really not a common French thing? Like I didn't think it was your hamburgers or some shit like that but I figured it was at least somewhat common over there with all the talk about it

[–] Toine 4 points 9 months ago

The only time I've seen frog legs was in biology class. I've never seen it on a menu anywhere. It might be a regional thing.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago

Never ate any, and I don't know of any restaurant close by that prepares them.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago

No, it's really not common. I have maybe ate frogs once in my life and it was so long ago I cannot tell for sure I did.

[–] AlligatorBlizzard 2 points 9 months ago

I'm not French, but it wouldn't surprise me if they were mostly a tourist thing. I've had frog legs before at a fish camp in Florida, and I'm guessing the regulars didn't normally eat them (although the gator tail was pretty good). They're kinda slimy and chicken like, they're a pain to eat, and there's little meat on them. They're just not worth the effort.