An Austrian must pay up to 30,000 euros for the croaking of frogs in his pond.

Vienna, August 7 (EFE). – An Austrian court has ruled that frogs in a private pond are too noisy and their croaking constitutes "noise pollution." The owner must therefore pay approximately 30,000 euros to compensate his neighbor and cover legal costs.

This was reported today by Austrian public television ORF, highlighting the surprise caused by this ruling in a dispute between two residents of the town of Pasching, in the north of the country.

Until now, similar claims have been dismissed because the frog is a protected species and the croaking of frogs has always been considered a natural sound, recalled Julia Kropfberger, president of the Upper Austria Nature Conservation Association.

Noise pollution

The pond owner, Wolfgang Knoll, is now required by court order to take steps to end the noise pollution caused by the frogs in his pond.

"We were found guilty because it's too noisy, especially at night, and the neighbor can't sleep with the patio doors open," Knoll told the station.

According to the plaintiff's attorney, the court found that in this case the frogs had proliferated "explosively and that about 50 frogs had recently colonized the pond."

Last year, the ORF reported on the problem caused by frogs in private ponds and swimming pools. But in all previous cases, judges had concluded that frog croaking is not punishable.

According to Kropfberger, these are male frogs that must croak loudly because they want to be heard from a distance in order to attract females.

The expert hopes the recent ruling doesn't set a precedent, as in recent decades, due to increasing urban development, many former amphibian habitats have disappeared, and ponds and garden pools have become important replacements. EFE

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