The frogs will eat too many insects, depriving native birds of food.

On the other hand, nobody has shown a shortage of insects in Hawaii. And the frogs they are trying to kill are not living near endangered birds.  

In addition, coqui frogs begin life as tiny froglets, only a few millimeters in size. These are perfect food for insect eating birds. In fact, birds are known to be one of the primary predators of coquis.

The frogs have no predators and will over-populate. Further, rats and mongooses will eat the frogs, increasing the populations of these invasive mammals.

If rats and mongooses eat the frogs, then there are predators for the frogs. And rats and mongooses already have plenty of food, so adding frogs to their diet would not increase their numbers.

In addition to rats and mongooses and insectivorous birds eating coquis in Hawaii, we also have bats, which are known predators of coquis. The endangered Hawaiian Hoary Bat is the type of bat that would eat coquis, since it is a gleaner (referring to its habit of feeding among tree tops where the coquis are.) Many people in Hawaii who have coquis have reported increased numbers of bats.

The frogs will eat endangered Hawaiian insects.

The frogs will be eating invasive insects that compete with endangered insects. So the frogs can make it easier for endangered insects to survive. Also, there are no endangered insects where the frogs are currently located.

The frogs will hurt Hawaiian agricultural exports because of the need for frog quarantine, damaging the economy.

The only place where they worry about coquis is here, in Hawaii. The frogs do not affect exports to the U.S. Mainland. So the economic damage is caused by the Hawaii Department of Agriculture’s desire to limit the spread of coquis in Hawaii. If they stopped the quarantine, and let the frogs spread throughout the Islands, (as almost everyone agrees they ultimately will do anyway), there would be no economic impact on agriculture.

The frogs are loud and a noise nuisance, comparable to the sound of a lawn mower or table saw.

This is a value judgment, not a scientific statement. Some birds and insects are just as loud as the coqui, which are better comparisons than a lawnmower or table saw. Some people love their sound.

The frogs keep some people awake at night, causing health problems.

Some people sleep happily to the sound of coqui frogs. And despite the populations of coquis throughout the Caribbean, there has never been a medical study to suggest that the frogs’ sound is a health risk. However, telling the public that the frogs will keep them awake will create sleepless nights for some people who are easily suggestible. So the cause of sleepless nights and health troubles is not the frogs, but negative attitudes about the frogs, and an expectation that they will keep people awake. Of course, for those unaccustomed to their sound, it may take some time getting used to the frogs’ song. But a negative attitude will make it more difficult to get used to them.

The frogs eat insect pests, including the mosquito, which can carry dengue fever and malaria, termites, centipedes, caterpillars, tree borers, leafhoppers and other pests.

The frogs’ musical sound adds to the tropical ambiance of the nights, and helps drown out the sound of traffic, generators, barking dogs, and other nuisance sounds.

The coqui frogs are interesting, cute, exotic animals that tourists can find fascinating to see and hear.

As tree frogs are threatened with extinction throughout the world, Hawaii can become a haven for these endangered animals.

We would all agree that fire ants, stinging caterpillars, scorpions, black widows, and brown tree snakes are invasive pests. But tree frogs are different. As you can see, it’s all a matter of opinion whether the coqui is invasive or beneficial.

The question is whether the government is justified in declaring war against the frogs, even at the expense of the environment, our economy, and our health? Shouldn’t limited resources and manpower be used to fight clearly invasive species, instead of trying to kill harmless tree frogs?

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