Efforts to Manage Frog Invasion Near Hotel San Giovanni Underway
April, Saint John’s Day, the amphibious assault continues, even though yesterday morning’s sunshine slightly slowed the march of the tiny creatures. In fact, the push of the “little frogs” was sparked by the recent rains, with the phenomenon reaching its peak on Sunday. Yesterday morning, meanwhile, since experts estimate the assault will last another ten days, and taking advantage of the temporary truce, the forest service personnel erected a barrier around the Hotel San Giovanni.
Interventions and Safety Measures
One hundred fifty meters of black tarp, about 60-70 centimeters high (a prohibitive measure for the frogs’ little legs), forming a true anti-invasion barrier and directing the amphibians’ march towards the forest. Simultaneously, warning signs with clear symbolic graphics were placed on the bike lane and along the state road (which in recent days was literally covered by a carpet of hopping animals), alerting cyclists (some have also fallen on the slick surface caused by crushed creatures) and motorists to the presence of frogs.
Roberto Vivaldi, owner of the Passo San Giovanni Hotel, is very pleased with the intervention. Throughout Sunday, he engaged in an almost hopeless and desperate battle with the frogs, and he finally hopes to resolve the problem. The entire area surrounding the hotel still shows clear signs of the incredible mass invasion: the parking area, walkways, stairs, and small roads are covered with thousands of small, crushed, and dried-out bodies (victims of cars or passersby, let’s be clear, not intentionally killed by Vivaldi), while in front of the kitchen entrance, the hastily arranged barrier (also marked with dead animals) is still visible, meant to prevent frogs from entering the kitchen and ending up under the chefs’ feet.
This consists of a few centimeters thick strip of salt that experts (who are convinced everything will be resolved within ten days) recommended Vivaldi place in front of the building’s entrance to avoid an “invasion”: the animals’ skin (which until a few days ago were tadpoles) is moist and particularly delicate. When in contact with sodium chloride, it causes a burning sensation, discouraging the frogs from proceeding further.
