RAUKeforum
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Joined: 24 Apr 2003
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Posted: 24 Apr 2003
France Declares War On American 'Invaders'
Financial Times, original by Jo Johnson, Paris, 3/22/03 Paris:
The French government is preparing a pre-emptive war against north American "terminator frogs" that have invaded south-western France and are believed to pose a serious risk to the country's diverse amphibian population.
Roselyne Bachelot, the environment minister, is preparing to eradicate the American bullfrog from Aquitaine, where it has spread since several were imported by an enthusiast in 1968 at the expense of indigenous frogs and toads.
American bullfrogs, classified as an invasive species, are highly adaptable predators. Adult males are aggressive and defend their territories, which can range from three to 25 metres of shoreline, by wrestling with others. Adults can reach 30cm-40cm in length and will eat almost anything they can get their jaws around.
Ecologists at Cistude nature, an environmental consultancy that has studied the alarming spread of bullfrogs, say France cannot afford to delay if it wishes to stop the damage being done to the ecosystem.
Bullfrogs do not just eat insects and worms, like smaller frogs. They feed on snakes, crustaceans, fish, as well as other frogs. There have also been cases of bullfrogs eating bats and small birds.
"They do incredible damage to the ecosystem," said Christophe Coic of Cistude. "They are so big that a mosquito is just not enough. That's just like a peanut to them, an aperitif. Eventually they will crowd out the frogs that eat mosquitoes, which will necessitate returning to harmful chemical treatments."
Analysis of the contents of the stomachs of 39 American bullfrogs found that other amphibians accounted for 39 per cent of the semi-digested matter, mostly traditional green frogs, while fish represented a further 34 per cent. Insect material accounted for 17 per cent.
Britain took rapid action to eliminate the invading North American frogs in 1999 after three ponds were found to be providing a rich breeding ground. Italy also acted promptly to deal with the web-footed invaders when they appeared in the Po valley.
http://search.ft.com/search/article.html?id=030322001177&query=invaders&vsc_appId=totalSearch&state=Form
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