Friendly Frogs Draw Tourists To Temple

[webfact]

Friendly frogs draw tourists to temple

AYUDHAYA: Tourists have been flocking to a temple in the old capital district to get close to a group of tame frogs that have taken up residence in a lotus pond.

The frogs sit happily on lotus leaves, allowing tourists to stroke and play with them. They even allow photos to be taken, free-of-charge.

Phrakhrupradit Kijjarak, 46, the abbot of Wat Rachpraditthan in Phra Nakhon Sri Ayudhaya District, said the temple's frog community started out with two baby golden frogs that appeared in the lotus pond around the end of Buddhist lent in October. As the frogs grew, more and more of the little amphibians came to live in the pool. By the time news of the tame frogs broke on December 22, there were nine of them living in the pool.

Monks began to feed the frogs fish foods. Soon, the frogs became used to the rhythms of temple life and whenever people played music the frogs would come and sit on the edge of the pond to listen and croak along, Phrakhrupradit said.

When monks come to feed them, they sit pateintly on the lotus leaves to wait for their fish pellets. The abbot added that he thought the frogs had felt safe and happy in the temple pond and so invited their friends to come and live there too. Now it is as if the frogs are temple students, Phrakhrupradit said.

The day after the story of the frogs was published in the Thai press, around 500 tourists came to pet the animals. Word also seems to have reached Ayudhaya’s amphibian community as well: the following day the flock of frogs had grown to 12.

Surapha Prachusap, a teacher from Lopburi who brought her students to see the frogs, said they were incredibly tame. Mrs Surapha added that she believes the frogs feel happy and content as Thai temples and known for providing shelter to animals.

Phrakhrupradit said if the number of frogs keeps growing, the temple will have to extend the lotus pond so they will all have room to live.

-- Phuket Gazette 2010/1/2

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[sbk]

We had a Mr Frog that lived in the little pool out front of our house. He would patiently wait for my husband to give him food, DH would put the food on a stick and Mr Frog would jump up and take it (usually a small piece of chicken). He stayed there for quite some time, but moved on one rainy season when there were an abundance of Mrs Frogs in the nearby stream to visit. He'd come back for a visit from time to time but never took up permanent residence after that.

[Shuguk]

We had a Mr Frog that lived in the little pool out front of our house. He would patiently wait for my husband to give him food, DH would put the food on a stick and Mr Frog would jump up and take it (usually a small piece of chicken). He stayed there for quite some time, but moved on one rainy season when there were an abundance of Mrs Frogs in the nearby stream to visit. He'd come back for a visit from time to time but never took up permanent residence after that.

In the village I was told to steer clear of frogs, especially the ones with wart-like spots on their back....they were poisonous.......maybe just to eat but I did not take any chances. When one appeared near the toilets at the house my Thai mate kicked the sh*t out of it.

Shug

[Goshawk]

The frogs sit happily on lotus leaves, allowing tourists to stroke and play with them..... around 500 tourists came to pet the animals

A nice gimmick, but i'll give the frogs 2 weeks to a month at most.. Their skins are absorbent & the last thing they need is constant contact with a stream of 'salty' fingers..

(unless of course the monks supply rubber gloves, or put up a sign to the barage "dont touch the frogs" that is.. )

[sbk]

We had a Mr Frog that lived in the little pool out front of our house. He would patiently wait for my husband to give him food, DH would put the food on a stick and Mr Frog would jump up and take it (usually a small piece of chicken). He stayed there for quite some time, but moved on one rainy season when there were an abundance of Mrs Frogs in the nearby stream to visit. He'd come back for a visit from time to time but never took up permanent residence after that.

In the village I was told to steer clear of frogs, especially the ones with wart-like spots on their back....they were poisonous.......maybe just to eat but I did not take any chances. When one appeared near the toilets at the house my Thai mate kicked the sh*t out of it.

Shug

Those are toads and they are only poisonous if you lick them.

[h90]

We had a Mr Frog that lived in the little pool out front of our house. He would patiently wait for my husband to give him food, DH would put the food on a stick and Mr Frog would jump up and take it (usually a small piece of chicken). He stayed there for quite some time, but moved on one rainy season when there were an abundance of Mrs Frogs in the nearby stream to visit. He'd come back for a visit from time to time but never took up permanent residence after that.

In the village I was told to steer clear of frogs, especially the ones with wart-like spots on their back....they were poisonous.......maybe just to eat but I did not take any chances. When one appeared near the toilets at the house my Thai mate kicked the sh*t out of it.

Shug

Those are toads and they are only poisonous if you lick them.

Well I'll keep in mind to never lick toads.....

I don't know if there are any in Thailand but there are toads which are "poisonous" if you touch them. Not real poisonous but you can get something like allergic reactions. But I never heard of someone who really got problems.

[bina]

watch the dogs when they try to pick them up; they foam at the mouth, and spit them out...

no pics of the froggies?