MA Press: PETA croaks over retailer’s frog sales

[Herp News]

BOSTON HERALD (Massachusetts) 09 December 09 PETA croaks over retailer’s frog sales (Dave Wedge)
A national animal rights group is targeting pet dwarf frogs sold by mall retailer Brookstone, saying the tiny amphibians are housed in cramped, dirty tanks in South Carolina, cruelly mishandled and have been killed while being transported - all claims dismissed as “baseless” by the breeders.
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said frogs bred at Wild Creations in Myrtle Beach, S.C., had fungal infections, leg deformities and were subjected to “rampant neglect.”
PETA said an undercover investigation done in November found that workers sometimes mistook live frogs for dead ones and discarded them. Also, hundreds of frogs were lumped into crowded bins and “roughly yanked” out to separate them from frogs with fungal infections.
PETA also alleged that “frogs were denied food for weeks” and that some were so hungry they “chewed at each others’ legs, resulting in wounds and infections and causing the limbs to rot off.” In one case, a batch of 200 frogs froze to death while being transported to a retailer, PETA reported.
The animal rights group also took issue with the premise of the animals being sold in tiny “Frog-O-Sphere” cubes with just a few square inches of water.
But Wild Creations president Rhett Power said PETA officials never met with company officials or formally visited the facility, which has a veterinarian and scientists on staff. The allegations are based on observations and video shot by an undercover worker who worked in the South Carolina facility in November, PETA spokeswoman Kristie Phelps said.
Power said the company has never been cited for animal cruelty or health violations.
“We breed and work with over 500,000 frogs a year. Some of them are going to have issues, just like people,” Power said. “But these frogs that are sold in stores are healthy and disease-free. We don’t keep them in cramped containers. We don’t mistreat these animals. We treat these animals very humanely.”
Of PETA’s criticism of the frogs being confined to tiny glass boxes for life, Power said: “We just disagree. We think pet ownership is something most people get a lot of value out of.”
Still, PETA is planning to file animal cruelty charges in South Carolina against Wild Creations, officials said. PETA is also calling on Brookstone to stop selling Frog-O-Spheres, which the group called “unethical” and “unacceptable.”
Brookstone officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
PETA croaks over retailer’s frog sales - BostonHerald.com

KATU (Portland, Oregon) 23 December 09 Company defends frog aquarium from PETA attack (Dan Tilkin)
Portland, Ore.: A children’s Christmas gift that’s flying off store shelves is also drawing criticism from animal rights activists, and police have also weighed into the controversy.
It’s called the Frog-O-Sphere – a small aquarium with two aquatic frogs - and it’s marketed nationally by the Brookstone chain of stores that are in malls across the metro area.
But the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) shot undercover video at Brookstone’s supplier that they say shows frogs living in dirty tanks and being handled poorly.
The company, Wild Creations in South Carolina, denies the accusations.
“We welcome the chance to explain our methods and handling methods to anyone who’s willing to listen,” said Peter Gasca of Wild Creations by phone. “We open our doors to industry experts; we open them to police – the Myrtle Beach Police Department – and we let them roam freely.”
In a statement, Brookstone said: “We recognize there are those who question the morality of having pets of any kind. We respectfully but forcefully disagree with that position. We at Brookstone believe strongly that pets, including frogs in a our Frog-O-Sphere aquaria, when cared for properly, offer a rewarding experience for all involved.”
South Carolina police officers said they found nothing that appeared to be cruelty to the frogs during their inspection of the Wild Creations facility, and a letter from a veterinarian, who inspected the supplier, said she “was extremely impressed with the entire operation.”
Area shoppers were split on the idea of the frog aquariums.
“I’m in favor of not farming animals, not shipping animals and not containing them,” sat Pat Nolan.
“They’re going to get fed and loved and taken care of. [They are] going to live a long time,” said another shopper who said she didn’t think the Frog-O-Sphere was too small. “It’s a little frog, how much space does it need?”
http://www.katu.com/news/local/80039527.html