Many grey nomads will be familiar with the slightly unnerving experience of sharing a bathroom with a friendly green frog or three.
Up in the north, tree frogs searching for a safe, cool, and moist environment often find themselves in bathrooms where they risk being accidentally flushed down the toilet.
However, the ABC reports that the rise of the ‘frog hotel’ concept could soon be making caravan park amenities blocks a lot more amphibian-free.
While the idea is not new, the efforts of the Barkly Landcare and Conservation Association have taken it to new levels.
The organisation’s secretary, Stephani Grove, recently arrived at Alexandria Station in the
Tree frogs love loos. PIC: : Barkly Landcare and Conservation Association
Northern Territory and was confronted by scores of little green frogs in her shower, in her toilet, and was also alarmed to find them hopping against her and hitching a ride against her leg when walking around
Determined to do something about it, she found a frog hotel design on the internet and tried it out at Alexandria Station. The results – and the reaction she received from social media responses about the experiment – were overwhelming.
The idea is simple.
“I got some poly piping, and filled a bucket with maybe a third of water,” Ms Grove told the ABC. “I transferred all these frogs from my toilet, from my shower, from everywhere I could find them, and they absolutely love their new home.”
She left the frog hotel in the station house to start with before gradually moving it further away and eventually, outside.
Ms Grove said the frogs appeared happy with their new digs and now the whole station is using the hotels, with the accommodation quarters now completely frog-free.
Although the accommodation is designed for frogs, Ms Grove told the ABC there is a chance it could attract other critters as well.
“I have seen it attract green tree snakes, where they come along and pick out some of the weak frogs,” she said.
Have you run across frogs in the loo?
No but as a youngster i always had to bang the dunny seat several times to get rid of the Red Backs as that was their favourite hiding spot.
Yes and sadly accidentally did flush it, so yes this seems a great idea, I have felt guilty for years