A long-awaited victory was achieved in California last week when the California Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously to approve recommendations from the Wildlife Resources Committee, which included a ban on the importation and sale of live American bullfrogs. Millions of bullfrogs will be spared from the cruel conditions of frog farms and from being killed and eaten. 

In Defense of Animals has been a part of SaveTheFrogs! Bullfrog Action Group which has been working tirelessly for over five years to achieve the goal of ending live bullfrog sales and imports. We supported the group’s non-lethal suggestions to mitigate bullfrog conflicts in the state and save these animals from meeting terrible fates. Our campaigners spoke at Fish and Game Commission (FGC) meetings until the recommendations finally passed on December 13, 2023. Our California supporters also sent letters to the FGC via our alert to raise concerns about the issues of importing bullfrogs into the state.

Bullfrogs raised on farms live in conditions that are so crowded they are often stacked on top of one another. When they are sold in live markets, they are piled into buckets. Now, these animals will be spared from being raised on farms, shipped across the world, and used for their flesh.

The cramped and unsanitary conditions under which these frogs are raised are a high risk for spreading disease to humans and other amphibians. They can carry diseases like ranavirus, salmonella, and chytrid fungus, a disease responsible for the decline of amphibian species worldwide. This disease would devastate California’s threatened and endangered amphibian species like the tiger salamander, red-legged frog, and mountain yellow-legged frog. 

Unfortunately, there is more work to be done! Along with the ban on live imports and sales, the FGC approved a plan to kill bullfrogs in the wild. Our team will continue to follow this process and advocate for other non-lethal solutions, such as habitat modification and the creation of educational programs. 

Stay tuned for updates, and find more ways to help at our Wild Animals campaign.