India has the pride of being one among the few mega-biodiversity countries
of the world. Whereas its land area is limited to 2.4%, it has 7-8% of the total number of
species so far recorded, of which about 45,500 species are plants and 91,000 species are
animals. As reported in 2007, among the 5150 amphibian species recorded, 240 are
present in India, which accounts for 4.66%. Unfortunately, the amphibians, which
survived all the four mass extinctions since their origin, have been projected to be
facing extinction at the global scale in the ongoing/envisaged sixth mass extinction.
Many amphibians species have been declared in the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 as
protected, and included in the different schedules reflecting different levels of threat.
Frogs that are commonly used for dissection and experiments in India are included in
Schedule IV of this Act. This means that holding of these frogs in captivity and/or use
for any purpose including as delicacy without the permission from the local Chief Wild
Life Warden is a punishable offence.
