Missing the Frog Prince?

Finally the rains arrived last Sunday though these may be just the premonsoon showers The child inside me couldnt resist the temptation and en route to a cyclists meet in Parel I indulged in my ageold practice of soaking in the early showers Halfway to the venue I observed some kids with paper boats wading through the streams and puddlesI approached them and asked Did you see any frogs jumping around or hear them sing At that the kids literally shrieked and jumped out of the water and onto the footpath With great amount of disbelief the eldest boy who was around 12 years asked me Are you joking and trying to scare us out of the water by asking about frogs My heart sank at the question and I almost had tears rolling down my wet cheeks laughing hard yet feeling sad at the same timeThese kids havent as much as heard a frog sing some tone deaf people describe frog singing as croaking or seen it hop around Dont these kids parents miss the frog songs just as much as I do I gave them more unbelievable information that there are dozens of species of frogs and toads found in and around Mumbai as we are located in the Western Ghats To which the kids very smartly added Yes we know inside Sanjay Gandhi National Park there are leopards and frogsI assured them that frogs are one of the most harmless creatures and although highly carnivorous and even cannibalistic they cause little to no harm to any human being Frogs thrive on dangerous malaria and denguecausing mosquitoes both underwater and on land To add to their amazement I told them that frog calls cannot only be heard through the air but also under water and through solid walls roofs and across loud noises of waterfalls in forestsThe young one of a bullfrogOnly male frogs emit these calls from their vocal sacs to attract females and to threaten other males and keep out of their territory They are abundantly found on branches leaves poles near pools and sometimes even in deep streams but never in sea water They live only on land and in freshwater bodies that too in preferably equable climatesThe Indian Bullfrog is an important frog for the Mumbai Thane and Konkan region and is increasingly becoming rare due to its large size and use as food in the frogleg industry thriving in Thailand and the Far East Our household phenyls leaking petrol from vehicles dumping of detergents glass plastics and other nonbiodegradables in breeding habitats of frogs lead to death of eggs and tadpolesThe blotchy pattern helps these bulky frogs camouflage Even today one can spot them on the steps of old wells or on waterlogged soccer fields in large campuses such as Bhavans and Ismail Yusuf colleges IIT Powai St Dominic Savio High School near Mahakali Caves Race Course or the Oval Maidan Ballaleshwar Talao Panvel Masunda Talao Pali and Upvan Lakes in Thane tooThe monsoon songs of bullfrogs emitted from the lakes edge are not only soothing to the stressed nerves but also a sign of safety from diseases Paddy rice farmers cherish frogs a lot as they eat up crabs which feed on the tender shoots and roots of rice seedlingsIf you are fond of these bullfrogs then this monsoon organise local lake cleanup drives to remove the filth that clogs them Some varieties of frogs can also thrive in a small terrarium created inside houses or in multistorey buildings However I strongly suggest all kids and adults start desperately looking for the eggs tadpoles and adult frogs in our city and introducing them in clean water pools tanks wells or lakes as their absence can totally ruin the health of this cityRemember the story of the Frog Prince was told in childhood not to entertain or as a language exercise but to emphasise the fact that these jumping largeeyed webfooted neckless weirdoes are extremely important for human survival and if nurtured they will truly protect us like the warrior princes in fairy talesAnand Pendharkar is an ecologist who is the founder of SPROUTS an outdoors and ecotourism company and SPROUTS Environment Trust an NGO which works with youth and underprivileged groups and aims to provide a sustainable environment for all