§ Mr. SheermanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to eliminate the threat to indigenous wildlife of the American bullfrog. [4731]
§ Mr. ClappisonThe north American bullfrog is covered by the provisions of section 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which makes it an offence to release, or allow to escape into the wild, any animal which is not ordinarily resident in, and is not a regular visitor to Great Britain.
As a result of a small number of sightings in the wild this summer we are consulting English Nature, our statutory scientific advisers, to identify the scale of any 583W threat. Where sales outlets have been identified, the Department has made known the potential threat of such illegal releases.