Frogs are toadally amazing! Some can jump over 20 times their own body length, some use a “babysitter” to watch over their eggs until they hatch, and some male frogs even “sing” to attract mates. Frogs, just like our companion animals, are capable of experiencing great fear, stress, and pain.
Here are some photos posted on Instagram to prove that frog “gigging” is cruel and pointless.
WARNING: The following images are graphic.
1. “Gigging” is a particularly cruel form of hunting that involves painfully stabbing frogs or other small animals with multi-pronged spears (picture a sharp, over-sized fork) called “gigs.”
2. People typically “gig” frogs when it’s dark out, using spotlights or headlamps to confuse and scare frogs by blinding them, which makes them less likely to move.
3. Because “giggin’” usually takes place at night, it’s dangerous for other animals who might be mistaken for frogs. Giggers may also trample vulnerable wetlands.
4. When giggers spot frogs, they stab them, impaling them through their bodies and sometimes even their faces.
5. Frogs experience extreme pain and terror when they’re gigged through their sensitive skin, tissues, and organs.
6. Victims bleed to death or die from shock or organ failure. That means that the agonizing death that these vulnerable animals experience is often prolonged.
7. After the frogs die, hunters usually cut off the frogs’ legs so that they can be eaten!
8. Even though there are tons of ways to raise money that don’t involve killing animals, some schools still use frog gigging as a fundraiser! Typically, the person who kills the largest frog or the most frogs in these competitions is deemed the “winner.”
9. Not only is stabbing and killing frogs cruel, removing them from their natural ecosystems also disrupts nature’s delicate balance. All species of frogs are disappearing from the Earth at an alarming rate.
Share this blog post with your family and friends and urge them not to eat or kill frogs. If you hear of a school holding a gigging contest, speak out, and let us know, too.
