Filed under: For the Environment, Local Events, Reportback | Tags: Boycott Uncle Julio's Rio Grande Cafe, Save the Frogs!
On Saturday, September 4th protestors of all ages took to the streets to demand that Uncle Julio’s Rio Grande Cafe stop selling frog legs. Not only does the consumption of frogs deplete wild populations, but it also causes the spread of infectious diseases and invasive species. Currently, one-third of amphibian species are threatened with extinction, and over 200 species have disappeared in recent years.
From the Save the Frogs website:
“Supporters of the environmental conservation group Save The Frogs congregated outside the Uncle Julio’s Rio Grande Café in Arlington, Virginia yesterday to protest the restaurant chain’s sales of frog legs. Far from your ordinary protest though, the majority of the protesters were under the age of 13. Eight middle and elementary school students joined two George Mason University students and five others to raise awareness of the rapid disappearance of frog species worldwide — and the Rio Grande Café’s contribution to the problem. This was the largest protest in defense of frog populations in the planet’s history, and signifies a growing movement to save the world’s remaining amphibian species, one-third of which are on the verge of extinction.
These farm-raised bullfrogs are known carriers of a deadly skin disease called chytridiomycosis, which has caused the extinction of up to 100 amphibian species worldwide. As well as spreading the deadly chytrid fungus, the bullfrogs are harmful invasive species. Being farmed around the world has allowed them to invade 15 countries outside their native range, where they eat native frogs and other wildlife, damaging ecosystems.
Amphibians are faced with an onslaught of environmental problems, including climate change, pollution, infectious diseases, habitat loss, invasive species, and over-harvesting for the pet and food trades.”
Animal Rights Collective Blog 