Aussie's 'amazing' discovery in backyard swimming pool: 'Insane'
Thousands of frogs have made themselves at home in a backyard saltwater swimming pool, with the homeowners not knowing how on earth to get them out.
Roy Hamilton shared the footage from his house in south-western NSW, showing a huge amount of frogs seeking refuge in the water following intense downpours.
"Just wondering if anyone else is having any frog issues in their pool since the floods?" he said in the video on Twitter. "Would love some ideas".
According to the ABC, Roy and Leanne Hamilton have been struggling to keep the amphibians out after experiencing 10 weeks of flooding.
Mr Hamilton said that they tried using a few wooden ramps so that the frogs could hop out easier, however the little ones just "weren't keen".
Instead, Mr Hamilton has committed to "collecting them up and relocating to creek and dams", which given the amount of frogs, is a very lengthy task and something the couple has dedicated half an hour a day to doing, ABC reports.
Biologist shocked by number of frogs in pool
Dr Jodi Rowley, a conservation biologist who has a focus on amphibians, told Yahoo News Australia the video was "quite amazing".
"I’ve never seen that many frogs in a pool before, that’s for sure," Dr Rowley said.
"What might have happened is that they’ve had a really good breeding season and there’s been lots of baby frogs and because it’s wet (from the floods) they’ve been able to hop around more and not worry about drying out, so they’ve just all landed in this pool which is insane."
Identifying the frog breed as most likely Western Banjo, she said the frogs possibly made a "mistake" jumping in the pool.
"Frogs really need fresh water so pools aren't great for them at all, it can actually kill them or make them sick, whether it's saltwater or whether it’s chlorine, which they drink through their skin," Dr Rowley said.
"Tree frogs can usually climb out because they have sticky toe pads so it tends to be the more terrestrial, burrowing frogs that tend to get stuck in a pool."
How do you get them out of the pool?
When asked what the best ways are to get them out, Dr Rowley shared a few options.
"Stick something in the water for them to climb out, but they’re not the smartest creature so they probably won’t see that and think, 'Let's go, that’s the way out'," she said.
She also suggested scooping them out with something, as well as "helping them out" by offering a hose with some fresh water.
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Lucky for Roy and Leanne, Dr Rowley said the frogs shouldn't stay for much longer.
"It's not going to be a constant plague of frogs, it's usually short-lived so hopefully within a few days that’ll be it," Dr Rowley said.
Though she did say that it was "great news" the local frogs were having a good season given that they are "really important to sustaining this boom and bust of life in much of Australia".
Meanwhile, thanks to the unwanted housemates, it looks like the couple will not be making use of their pool for the time being.
"I think I'll swim in the creek this morning," Mr Hamilton said in the video.
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