Smuggling of giant frogs foiled

Forest department officials on Wednesday busted a racket in smuggling Indian bullfrogs, a threatened species, from Karnataka to Goa for exporting to South Asian countries.

More than 300 giant frogs of Rana tigrina species were being transported in three bags in a Goa-bound bus. The forest department received a tip-off and raided the bus. The frogs were being taken to Goa for processing, after which they were to be exported to South Asian countries where they fetch a huge price.

Mohan Kanagi, district forest officer, Uttara Kannada, said the frogs are a delicacy in many South-East Asian countries. He said the Indian bullfrog species is in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, but the frogs are being smuggled unabated from Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu to Goa.

He said the frogs—each one weighs about a kilogram—are exported from Goa live or after processing. He said many smugglers had made huge sums of money by supplying these frogs to foreign countries. He added that the forest department was cracking down on the smugglers after the species was put on the list of threatened ones. Forest department officials said that these frogs were bred commercially in Goa for exporting, which is equally illegal. Sources said a few hotels in Goa, especially those near beaches, sell frog-meat delicacies, but only to foreigners. The dishes are priced exorbitantly. They are not mentioned on the menu card and the waiters are given discreet instructions to notify their clients about the ‘special dish’.

Kanagil said the forest department would take strict action against those involved in the racket. He said the department was particularly keeping an eye on the forests of Uttara Kannada.