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Over 2 million bullfrogs are imported into California each year for the pet trade and consumption. These frogs experience horrible conditions on frog farms and in transport and are subjected to a life of confinement, or are sold alive to be eaten. These frogs also contribute to the spread of diseases and put endangered Californian frogs at risk.

The California Fish and Game Commission's Wildlife Resources Committee has been engaged in a discussion about mitigating the harmful effects of importing bullfrogs. Urge the committee to ban the live import of bullfrogs into the state, add bullfrogs to the restricted species list, and prioritize non-lethal solutions for combatting impacts on the ecosystem.

Frogs are kept in cramped containers and raised on large farms. When they are imported, they are also in crowded buckets crawling on top of one another. These frogs suffer their whole lives and are then used to supply pet stores where they spend the rest of their days in confinement, or they are sold at live markets to be eaten, exploited for their flesh.

The cramped and often unsanitary conditions that these frogs are in contribute to the rapid spread of disease. They can carry diseases like ranavirus, salmonella, and other pathogens that can affect wildlife and humans alike. Imported frogs could bring diseases like the next COVID-19.

Bullfrogs also carry and spread chytrid fungus, a disease responsible for the decline of amphibians worldwide. This gets spread when water that previously contained frogs gets dumped down drains and ends up in water systems and the environment. Handlers also come into contact with diseased frogs, and sometimes bullfrogs are intentionally released into the wild or escape.

When bullfrogs make their way into the wild, they may spread chytrid fungus to other amphibian species including the endangered California tiger salamander, California red-legged frog, and mountain yellow-legged frog. Bullfrogs are also competitors for food, often out-competing other species. Luckily, there are non-lethal solutions that the California Fish and Game Commission should consider, like habitat mitigation that prioritizes other species, and adding bullfrogs to the restricted species list so that they are no longer imported.

In Defense of Animals has been engaged in the Bullfrog Action Group Coalition spearheaded by Save The Frogs! and we are committed to ending the live import of bullfrogs into California.

Please urge the Committee to accept the coalition's recommendations to ban live imports, add bullfrogs to the restricted species list, and prioritize other non-lethal mitigation solutions such as educational programs, habitat modification, and testing and monitoring of imports.

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