During hot summer days, there’s nothing better than going for a swim in a pool in your backyard. Unfortunately, though, while these pools are great for humans, they are very dangerous for small animals. Every summer, countless frogs, rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, and snakes drown in pools.
Enter the FrogLog—a simple but genius invention that has saved thousands of small animals from drowning.
FrogLog was invented by wildlife biologist Rick Mason. Mason says he was inspired to create this invention after his friend built an in-ground pool.
“In June of 2004, good friends of mine who lived on a heavily wooded lot near Baltimore, Maryland called me very upset and let me know that a huge number of frogs were dying in their recently built in-ground swimming pool,” Mason wrote on his website. “One particular morning, after a warm rainy night, an astonishing 53 frogs and toads were found in the pool.”
As a wildlife biologist, it disturbed Mason to hear about so many animals needlessly drowning. And so, he decided to create a life-raft that animals could use to climb out of the pool. Just like that, the FrogLog was born.
The FrogLog features an inflatable platform, a mesh net for animals to climb onto, and a mesh ramp that connects to the side of the pool. At first, Mason worried that animals wouldn’t understand how to use the device. He decided to set up a test to make sure it worked. He place a funnel trap at the top of the device to catch the animals who were climbing out of the pool.
“The FrogLog was in the pool with the funnel trap for 23 days… During this period, 47 American toads (Bufo americanus) and 3 green frogs (Rana clamitans) were removed alive from the funnel trap… During this brief test period, the FrogLog was 94% effective at allowing trapped amphibians to climb out of the pool.”
Once Mason knew his device worked, he started selling them to the public, and he applied for a patent. Mason quickly began selling tons of FrogLogs—everyone was amazed at how well they worked.
Mason is happy that his device is selling so well, and he says his mission still remains the same 15 years after he started selling the devices.
“As FrogLog has grown and as I have met many, many happy pool owners, my mission remains the same as when it started in 2004: save as many small animals as possible and helping pool owners enjoy their pools to the fullest.”
The FrogLog is a great device for any pool owner to use—this device has saved thousands of little animals’ lives over the years. If you want to learn more about the device, check out the video below or head to FrogLog’s website!
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