Coqui Has Travelled

When I worked in Puerto Rico, I remember hearing the call of the tree frog at night: "co-KEE, co-KEE". High pitched, musical, and incessant. It made me glad for nature, and glad for my return plane tickets to New Joisey, where the biggest noise was either the turnpike or Amelda next door.

Now, someone has taken the frog to Hawaii. The Eleutherodactylus coqui population has been in Hawaii since 1988, but "just recently exploded," said Milton Matayoshi, of the state Department of Agriculture.

Thousands of the creatures measuring a half inch to 2 inches plague the Big Island and Maui. They have also begun to invade Oahu and Kauai.

Somehow, I think that the Hawaiians will cope with the problem. James Michener covered this in his book, Hawaii, and the lack of natural predators in Hawaii for other imports such as rats and mongooses. Maybe someone will discover Coqui ala' Bernaise with a hint of Lemon.