Salmonella Outbreak Linked to African Dwarf Frogs
Victory Update: Following a national PETA campaign against Brookstone’s sale of Frog-O-Spheres —tiny plastic boxes containing two African dwarf frogs—the retailer has discontinued the sale of these little frog prisons in its stores. Learn more about this victory for frogs.
Want some stomach cramps, fever, and vomiting with that Frog-O-Sphere?
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported this Monday that a national salmonella outbreak has afflicted at least 48 people in 25 states—many of whom say they’ve been in contact with frogs like the ones Brookstone imprisons in its filthy Frog-O-Spheres. Huh, that’s strange … the illnesses began in June, the same month Brookstone started selling Frog-O-Spheres, and officials warn that African dwarf frogs are among the believed causes of these infections. Brookstone markets the Frog-O-Spheres as an educational product for kids. Seventy-seven percent of the people infected with this salmonella strain are children under 10, so I’d have to say that it’s evident that Brookstone doesn’t care about animals or people.
Our recent undercover investigation inside Brookstone’s Frog-O-Sphere supplier revealed thousands of frogs trapped in unfiltered water ridden with excrement and molted skin. And many of the plastic tubs that housed frogs shipped to customers contained the bloated, fungus-covered remains of decomposing frogs. That seems like a breeding ground for infectious bacteria to me. Now, I’m not a biologist, but Clifford Warwick—one of the experts who viewed footage of our Wild Creations investigation—is, and here’s what he had to say about the bacterial potential of Frog-O-Spheres:
[P]otential pathogens are so frequently carried and shed by frogs that it should be presumed that all frogs and every drop of water in the cube, as well as the cube itself, may potentially be harbouring microbes that may cause disease in many animals and humans.
Want to help prevent the spread of potentially lethal diseases? Take a minute to urge Brookstone to stop selling Frog-O-Spheres immediately.
Written by Logan Scherer
