Karwar: Despite knowing that it is illegal, some people in coastal region are involved in catching frogs and selling them to Goan restaurants where there is a huge demand for their meat.

The demand is driven by tourists from Russia and western countries who don’t mind the high prices for the meat which is also called ‘jumping chicken.’

 Frog leg soup is in great demand. According to experts, Uttara Kannada is home to 35 species of frogs including bullfrog, pingel, rana tigrina, hyla, night frog, amboli bush, Malabar frog.

 During the rainy season, a few villagers in Karwar, Ankola, Kumta and other taluks catch frogs illegally and supply them to agents. In the evenings, people armed with flashlights, sticks and bags begin hunting for frogs mainly near highways and hillsides where there are ponds.

 Croaking of frogs help the hunters locate them. According to sources, a few youths are deployed to hunt frogs in remote areas around Madangeri, Gokarna, Kaiga and other places.

 They catch frogs and give them to local agents for Rs 200-400 per kg. The local agents send the frogs to Goa and earn handsome money. After crossing Karnataka border, there is not much problem in transporting them to big cities in Goa.

 However, environmentalists are worried about poaching of frogs in coastal areas and Western Ghats. They say it will harm ecological system and a food chain will cut off if hunting continues.

Frogs keep ecosystem stable by feeding on insects and larva. If there are no frogs, the number of insects and mosquitoes will increase, affecting nature as well as humans.

These days, the numbers of mosquitoes is rising in urban and rural areas due to the decreasing number of ponds and frogs, according to the environmentalists.