THE PROVINCE (Vancouver, British Columbia) 27 March 08 Delta councillor fears attack of the killer bullfrogs in Burns Bog (Glenda Luymes)
A Delta councillor fears that Burns Bog will soon be overrun by a species of voracious killer bullfrogs.
Coun. Vicki Huntington has told her colleagues she'll be tabling a motion calling on council to order a study of the American bullfrog and, if necessary, develop a containment program.
"They're big and they're ugly and we can't let them get a hold in Delta's wetlands," she said yesterday.
Huntington became aware of the bullfrog's presence when an environmental assessment for a development near the bog's edge indicated the species was in the area.
The discovery could be bad news for other frogs, fish and baby ducks in and near the bog - all of which become food for the predator toads.
"It's not just the bog," said Huntington. "These frogs can take over an entire ecosystem very quickly."
The American bullfrog is the largest frog in North America. A female bullfrog can lay as many as 20,000 eggs in spring. As tadpoles, the frogs can grow to the length of a human hand and, as adults, to the size of a dinner plate.
The frogs, which are native to eastern Canada, were brought to B.C. in the 1930s to supply local restaurants with frog legs.
It's believed that some of the frogs were released into the wild, where they're able to expand their range by about five kilometres a year.
University of B.C. zoology professor Jonathan Shurin said the ill-tempered frogs are especially prevalent in
California and on Vancouver Island. "I haven't heard of it on the [Lower] Mainland," he said. "But it's not at all surprising."
Shurin said efforts to eradicate the frogs are often unsuccessful because the tadpoles are hard to eliminate. "You'd have to take pretty drastic measures," he said.
Metro Vancouver parks spokesman Mitch Sokalski said he was not aware the frogs had been found near the bog, but added: "Wherever there are bullfrogs, there's a concern for us.
"They are very predacious. They'll eat all the other local frogs."
If the bullfrog became a problem in Burns Bog, Metro Vancouver would work with the municipality of Delta and non-profit groups to develop a strategy to deal with them, said Sokalski.
"We'd take action," said Sokalski. "One big bullfrog will ruin a pond."
Delta councillor fears attack of the killer bullfrogs in Burns Bog