Peruvian authorities announced Thursday the seizure of hundreds of endangered Lake Titicaca frogs illegally captured for their alleged aphrodisiac properties.
The National Forestry and Wildlife Service said it found 390 dead frogs inside a truck in the Puno region, on the shores of the vast lake 3,810 meters above sea level in the Andes Mountains on the border of Peru and Bolivia.
The shipment was destined for Lima, the Peruvian capital, where this species of frog is traded because it is supposed to stimulate the libido.
Some traditional healers prepare a drink from frog extract that they call “Inca Viagra,” named after the civilization that ruled a vast South American empire in the 15th and 16th centuries.
This decoction is also renowned for its many medicinal properties.
The Lake Titicaca frog (Telmatobius culeus), one of the largest aquatic frog species in the world, is native to Peru and parts of Bolivia.
Over the past 15 years, its population, which has been on the endangered species list since 2019, has declined by around 80% due to traffic, climate change and pollution.
Wildlife trafficking is a crime punishable by fines of more than $14,500 in Peru, more than 50 times the minimum monthly wage.
cm/cb/nro/lab/alh
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