Noisy French frogs have nothing on my randy croakers

With France beset by debates over raucous wildlife, Will Gore is horrified by the goings on in his garden pond

‘Build it and they will come’ goes the saying, and by God haven’t they just (Getty/iStock)

Rural French folk are getting jumpy, following the news this week that gendarmes are seeking to collar the noisy residents of an elderly lady’s pond in Savoie.

The old bill, apparently ducking more serious issues, had wished to apprehend some very croaky frogs, whose deep, belchy bellowing had been making it hard for a disgruntled neighbour to sleep. The owner of the amphibians’ abode, 92-year-old Colette Ferry, told a regional radio station that she was shocked by what had happened, adding that the police might find it hard to make any arrests, given the frogs’ tendency to hop.

It might all sound like jolly froggy japes, or perhaps a cheeky attempt by the local constabulary to rustle up a cheap and cheerful supper, but there is no doubt that amphibious antics can quickly spiral out of control.