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Are northern leopard frogs still about?

Blackbun

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Dec 19, 2015
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I still feel mortified after all these years about my experience of these frogs. When I first left school, in the late 70s, I had a temporary job as a trainee technician at the local university. The students got to dissect northern leopard frogs as part of their zoology course. We are talking about 120+ students! Each year the place would order in hundreds of live northern leopard frogs. I knew those which were left over would be dealt with so I used to smuggle them home but they refused to feed and often had injuries (particularly to the snout) or picked up bacterial infections which spread rapidly due to the high density in which they had been kept. These frogs were probably the reason I got into amphibians in the first place.

I remember how crowded they were and kept in the cold room to keep them inactive that way they didn't need feeding. How absolutely disgraceful and immoral is that? Times have changed and we should recognise that even if legislation can get in the way some time. When the supply eventually dried up (I say supply and not legislation) they moved onto xenopus.
Over the years I have always kept an eye open to see if these wonderful frogs are ever about in the UK. Does anyone know if they are?
Thank you.
 
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