TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Five members of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Asia wore frog masks and writhed inside burlap sacks outside the French Embassy in Jakarta on Tuesday, February 27. They urged the French government, one of the largest importers of frog thighs in the world, to ban imports of frog meat from Indonesia.

Their act, which started at around 12:30 and lasted around 40 minutes, was carried out following PETA's investigation into seven frog meat industry operations in Indonesia. According to PETA, the workers caught frogs from the wild and subjected them to cruel treatment, including stuffing them into sacks until they suffocated, mutilating them, and even skinning them alive.

The activists held posters with messages written in Indonesian, English, and French, calling for an end to the inhumane frog trade.

"Retail giant Carrefour, identified as one of the buyers of the facilities investigated by PETA, has temporarily suspended imports of frog meat from Indonesia following the investigation," PETA Senior Vice President Jason Baker said during the demonstration.

Jason added that PETA is urging the French Government to stop supporting the cruel toad industry and encouraging everyone to participate in ending this cruelty by adopting a vegan lifedata-style.

Indonesia is the world's largest exporter of frog thighs, shipping millions of them every year to the European Union through distributors. According to Eurostat, the EU imported over 35,000 tons of frog legs between 2010 and 2022, equivalent to 703 million to 1.7 billion frogs.

Irsyan Hasyim (Contributor)

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