We feel the war against coqui tree frogs is wrong and cruel. That is why we have created a Coqui Sanctuary and Nature Preserve -- a Place of Refuge for the coquis -- here on the Big Island of Hawaii. In contrast to those who seek to profit by poisoning frogs (plus other animals, and plants, and the groundwater, and the Earth itself), we feel that coquis (and all creatures) are vitally important to the planetary ecosystem -- and we encourage our fellow Hawaiians to begin seeing the financial benefits of allowing our beautiful Islands to provide a home for these beloved little frogs. The staple of our financial diet here is tourism -- and the keyword for the future is ECOtourism. Coqui Hawaii Ecotourism.
As of January, 2007, the coqui frogs are still under attack in Hawaii. Millions of dollars have been spent to spray the jungles with acid and caustic lime (calcium hydroxide) in order to burn the frogs to death. Some spraying has taken place using helicopters to poison the tree tops. Beautiful tropical plants have been cut down and sprayed with herbicide to eliminate coqui hiding places. Trees have been cut down, and bulldozers have cleared land, all to attack the coqui.
It takes 45 minutes to kill coquis with acid or calcium hydroxide, a painful and inhumane practice that also burns lizards, spiders, insects, birds, cats and dogs, plants, and anything else unfortunate enough to be in the spray's path. Uncountable numbers of animals suffer sub-lethal burns that cause weeks of pain. This barbaric practice is not only cruel; it is also ineffective, and has spread the frogs. The only other methods of killing coquis, promoted by the government, are to hand-capture the frogs and put them in hot water, to cook them to death, or to put them in the freezer, to freeze them to death. No humane method of frog control is offered; and humane laws do not apply to the coquis in Hawaii, since the government in 2006 passed a law specifically defining the coqui as a "pest"; and, by Hawaii law, pests are not protected from cruelty! (This is the first time in the history of the world that a tree frog has been labeled a "pest".)
Why has the coqui been labeled a "criminal" in Hawaii, and subjected to such tortures as being boiled or frozen or sprayed with acid? It's not because the frogs are an environmental problem. Even a "scientific study" has shown that they are not a threat to Hawaii's ecosystems.Click here for excerpts from an article that appeared in The Honolulu Advertiser newspaper, August 28, 2005.
NO, THE REASON for the Frog War is not because the frogs are an environmental problem. It's because of their chirping at night, which some people don't like!
It is old Hawaiian tradition to have a Place of Refuge (Pu'uhonua) for condemned criminals. If the criminals could make their way to the place of refuge, their lives were spared. The coquis are considered criminals because of human intolerance, ignorance, and insensitivity. We believe they deserve a place of refuge here in Hawaii.
OUR COQUI SANCTUARY and Nature Preserve is a tropical paradise near the Puna coast, on the east side of Hawaii. More than half of our 67-acre preserve consists of old growth jungle, untouched by human hands. The rest is an "animal community" of chickens, ducks, geese, goats, sheep, horses, peacocks, dogs, cats, and local wildlife, all living in harmony with the environment, their human caretakers, and one another.
Best of all, we have coquis! Their "sunset serenade" begins about 30 minutes before dusk. Coqui solos start the concert, like the first evening stars that twinkle in the slowly darkening sky. Others join in and answer one another. As the stars continue to come out, coquis add their voices together, as a joyous chorus envelopes the night with its enchanting, soothing sound. Combined with the rumble of surf in the distance, and the songs of crickets, cicadas, cane toads, and geckos, it is a nocturnal serenade of Nature that has almost disappeared from this increasingly developed, deforested, polluted planet.
For those who wish to have a "Coqui Encounter" of the most wonderful kind, we offer "Sunset Serenade" tours of our Sanctuary and Nature Preserve. Please call 808.935.5563 or email . We also have rustic guest houses (for overnight or longer stays), a gorgeous swimming pool, and there are beautiful black-sand beaches within walking distance. For those who prefer something less rustic, we can direct you to other accommodations in the area, where you can still hear the coquis. Please contact us for more information.
