Fast-moving bullfrogs threaten native Northwest species of amphibians

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Idaho Department of Fish and Game biologists are trying to handle an aggressive northward expansion of American bullfrogs that are multiplying rapidly and posing a threat to fellow amphibians.

The Spokesman-Review reports that biologists teamed up last week to catch bullfrogs near the Canadian border. The team was joined by three British Columbia entities interested in protecting Northern leopard frogs in the Creston Valley.

Bullfrogs are native to the southeastern U.S., where alligators prey on them. With no native predator for them in the West, their population is soaring. They are taking over ponds and devouring native frogs and other wildlife.

Wildlife officials were only able to capture and kill 20 of the 116 frogs they saw. But they hope to gain a better understanding of how bullfrogs spread.