Live Animals Aren't Toys, Says Group

For Immediate Release:
October 9, 2009

Contact:
Desiree Acholla 757-622-7382

Plano, Texas -- After hearing from PETA and concerned customers about sales of a miniature aquarium called "Planet Frog," Plano-based JCPenney has agreed to stop selling the product. Biologists and wildlife specialists agree that small cubes such as Planet Frog--a miniature aquarium that houses two frogs in crowded conditions--are inhumane and inadequate, confining energetic animals to cramped plastic boxes and denying them the opportunity to live a normal life. Keeping frogs as "pets" can also be hazardous to children's health, exposing them to diseases such as salmonellosis, sparganosis, and psittacosis.

"JCPenney's decision to end its sales of Planet Frog sends the message that animals aren't disposable toys to be thrown out or stored in the closet when children tire of them," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "Frogs should be allowed to live free in their natural habitat, not be confined to a few square inches of dirty water."

JCPenney joins Target, Rite Aid, Eckerd, Walgreens, and Albertsons, which have also discontinued sales of tiny tanks that confine frogs and fish. PETA is currently targeting Brookstone over its continued sales of the "Frog-O-Sphere, which is similar to Planet Frog. The Frog-O-Sphere confines two frogs and a snail to a small plastic cube. Brookstone customers have reported seeing dead and dying frogs on store shelves.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.