Bullfrog Hunter Saves West Coast Wildlife

0:00It's March 24th, Vancouver news today starts now, AI-powered and ready. At the Billy Frank Jr., Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge in Washington, officials are tackling a big invasive species problem. This over 4,500 acres site protects birds, fish, and plants along the Nisqually River Delta. American bullfrogs, not native to the West Coast, have taken over parts of it, eating native wildlife and threatening endangered species like the Oregon-spotted frog. To fight back, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife hired 29-year-old Jamie Buchanan, a pro bullfrog hunter from Missouri. He started in February, on a 38-week grant fund to gig through the American Conservation Experience. Buchanan, with a degree in wildlife management, has worked on similar projects and now patrols the refuge complex at night, grabbing frogs by hand or. Using gigs, the public loves it. A Facebook post, showing Buchanan with his catch, got over 3,000 likes and hundreds of

1:04punny comments, like folks joking about his riveting. Job. Bullfrogs are tough because they breed fast, laying up to 25,000 eggs a season, and eat anything that fits in their mouths, from ducklings to bats, even their own young. Buchanan hauls in 15-30 frogs per night on good hauls, and the team studies them by measuring dissecting and checking stomachs. They sometimes eat the ones from private lands, saying they taste better than chicken, but refuge catches go to research only. Efforts like this suppress the population without full eradication, since nearby private ponds keep them coming back. With Buchanan on the job through November, native frogs stand a better chance at holding their ground.