Glimmer of hope for mountain chicken frog which was once a national dish - BBC News

Frantic efforts are being made to save the endangered mountain chicken frog, native to just two Caribbean islands.

13 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Anselm GibbsImage caption, The mountain chicken frog, also called giant ditch frog, can weigh up to 1kgBy Anselm GibbsRoseau, DominicaA frog that has been cooked and eaten for decades on the Caribbean island of Dominica is on the verge of becoming extinct, but there is now a frantic push to try to save it.

The mountain chicken frog (Leptodactylus fallax) was once considered Dominica's unofficial national dish, according to locals.

"When I used to cook it, I would just cut it and put it into a broth," says Alain Mellow as he sits selling fruit and vegetables in Roseau, the bustling capital city of Dominica.

It tasted "just like chicken", according to Mr Mellow, who is now in his 70s, and believes the nutrients from the mountain chicken frog have contributed to his good health.

Image source, Anselm GibbsImage caption, Alain Mellow remembers eating mountain chicken frogsAnother local name for the mountain chicken is "crapaud" (the French word for toad), a reminder of Dominica's past as a French colony.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-68935248

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