Raids directed at wild frog vendors

• Source: Global Times
• [08:37 August 24 2010]
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Vendors across the city admitted that the illegal business of selling wild frog is booming. One woman in Minhang district said that she can sell wild frog for as much as 20 yuan ($2.94) per half-kilogram.

According to Yan from the Wild Animals Protection Office, the problem is that catching these vendors is a bit of a tricky process since many hide their secret supply of wild frog, or sell them off before they can be confiscated.

She said that while authorities have been close several times, none of the raids launched since April have been successful in catching anyone. But Yan said that if caught vendors face fines of up to five times the market price of wild frog.

"Wild frogs do not fall under the nationally protected animals, but they're listed as one of several that must be protected because of their economic and scientific value, and their benefits for farmland," she added.

But for some average Chinese people, wild frogs are simply adorned for their taste.

"They're delicious," Lu Zhi, 29, a local resident, told the Global Times Monday. "Their flesh is so tasty and tender; I love eating them.

"I also heard that eating wild frog is good for you," he added.

Medical experts, however, are uncertain about the nutritional value of wild frog.

"So far, there hasn't been any firm conclusion drawn that says eating wild frog is good, or bad for you," a doctor surnamed Chen told the Global Times Monday. "But some theories believe that eating wild frog is a sure-fire way to contract disease, such as parasites."