A Lot to Croak About

Come rains and the little ones can be heard singing in full glory. Hidden in the foliage, they are not easily seen but their deep throated singing is loud and clear for all to hear. Well, for some it is noise, but to me it is music. It is music because it herald’s a bountiful monsoon lashing across the countryside, filling up our rivers and ponds and quenching the thirst of the parched earth.

But is that all they are here for? To herald the rains? No. These little creatures, small and smaller, in hues ranging from green, brown, yellow, red and even blue, have an important role to play in maintaining the balance of our fragile ecosystem as an integral member of the food chain. To begin with they maintain the balance of the flying insects, houseflies, mosquitoes and all those that are generally considered pests. Most of us are unaware of their role in the eco-system and wouldn’t cast a second glance at them while many would scream in fright, and then there are those who continue to relish them as a delicacy despite warnings from environmentalists about them reaching the endangered mark. For instance, in Goa where they are eaten as a delicacy, because of their dwindling population a rise in mosquito population has been seen and also the snakes having got less prey, venture into inhabited area.

Whatever you may think, frogs fascinate me. What I love about them is their nondescript yet powerful existence. They have a formidable position of responsibility in the web of life. Without much ado they fulfil their role. How much better this world would be if each of us, like the frog, played our role to perfection irrespective of whether it gave us any publicity or returns; if we performed our duty to the best of our ability, not a shade more not a shade less. If each one performed their duty, our rights would automatically be taken care of. How wonderful indeed this world would be and without doubt, success would be ours.

Did you know?
Frogs live on every continent except Antarctica.
The biggest kind of frog is the Goliath frog, found in Cameroon in West Africa. It can grow to a size of nearly a foot (30 cm) long and it weighs as much as a large housecat, about 3.3 kilos!

Do your bit!
Firstly, discourage others (if not yourself), from consuming frog meat. If there is no demand for frog legs, frog-poachers simply won’t catch them. Secondly, if you come across people poaching frogs or restaurants serving frog meat, report it to the police (100/108) or any Forest Department official at the location closest to you.