Animal rights activists report unhappiness in the area

Delicacy or animal cruelty? A Frankfurt restaurant is lost because of frog legs. An investigation is now underway.

The animal protection group Peta has filed a criminal complaint against a luxury bistro in Frankfurt. The reason for this is the offer of frog legs on the menu at the restaurant “Maaschanz” on Schaumainkai. The group accuses the restaurant of aiding and abetting animal cruelty.

The protest against the Frankfurt restaurant is part of a larger campaign by animal rights activists. and the “Café-Restaurant” in Überherrn. The animal protection group said that they have warned the affected restaurants about the ads.

Nevertheless, the frog’s legs remained on the menu at first – even at “Maaschanz”, who is currently on vacation. The restaurant offers frog legs in persillade for 14.50 euros as a starter. A spokesperson from the Saarbrücken public prosecutor’s office confirmed to “Bild” that an investigation was now underway following the complaints.

The legal situation is complex: Although the production of frog legs is banned in Germany due to animal cruelty, their import is still legal. The animal protection group estimates that around 40 tons of frog legs are imported into Germany every year.

Tanja Breining, a biologist employed by Peta, explains: “Frog legs are a harsh animal product, where the legs of fully conscious frogs are cut off and other violations of animal welfare occur.

The group has had various experiences with criminal charges in the past. In some cases the ads were stopped, in others there were fines. In Hamburg According to publications, two Chinese restaurants voluntarily removed frog legs from the menu.

Most imported frog legs come from Asia and South-Eastern Europe. According to the animal protection group, frog hunting there has a significant impact on the environment. “The high demand has led to the number of frogs inside Indonesia, Albania and the Turkey has declined significantly,” says Breining. As a result, frogs are missing as natural predators, and this can lead to the uncontrolled proliferation of insects such as mosquitoes.

The ad is not the first time animal rights activists have targeted the “Maaschanz”: in 2016, Peta protested against the sale of duck foie gras in the “Maaschanz”. The dish, made using forced fat, can still be found on bistro menus today.