Salad with toad - A family successfully saves an escaped animal.
A tiny toad that had been concealing itself in the French lamb's lettuce at the supermarket has found a warm and loving home with this family of four! The household, comprising of mother Isabel, father Frank, daughter Frieda, and son Jasper, took the little creature under their wing.
It was discovered that Frieder was a midwife toad from Nantes in the western region of France.
This species is on the brink of extinction
The midwife toad is commonly found in western and south-western Europe: stretching from Portugal and Spain to France, Belgium, the southern region of the Netherlands, the German low mountain ranges, and the Harz Mountains. In the east, the distribution limit is centered across the eastern Harz foreland, the mountain ranges of northern and western Thuringia, the western Thuringian Forest, the Rhön, and the Black Forest. It can also be found in northern Switzerland.
This means that the midwife toad is only found in the far northwest of Bavaria, and is dangerously close to extinction. The majority of these sites in Bavaria are now extinct, leaving only six remaining sites in the Rhön-Grabfeld district.
The family reported to the nature conservation authority, who granted them permission to look after the toad. "The toad was briefly seized by the district office before being returned to us for care. If not, it would've been sent off to an amphibian center for collection," states Isabel. "It's crucial that Frieder doesn't get released here, as it would put our indigenous population in jeopardy," she adds.
Jasper and his family quickly learnt that caring for a toad may not be as simple as it initially seemed. They obtained a terrarium adorned with stones and sand, which must be cleaned every six months. The entire setup is sterilized through boiling to ensure Frieder's comfort and health.
The terrarium is placed in their living room. Frieder, being nocturnal and still rather shy, is most comfortable at night. He prefers to dine on house crickets readily available at the pet store. He consumes seven crickets a week. At times, you might be fortunate enough to hear a soft whistling or a ringing sound resembling a bell coming from him.
Midwife toads can live for up to five years. Frieder is currently eight years old. If he had remained in France, there's a possibility he might have ended up on a plate.
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Source: symclub.org
