Peruvian authorities said Thursday they had seized hundreds of endangered frogs from Lake Titicaca, illegally caught and believed to be used for their aphrodisiac properties.
The National Forestry and Conservation Service reported that 390 frogs were found in a cardboard box in a truck in the Puno region, on the shores of the huge lake. The lake is located 3,810 meters (12,500 feet) above sea level in the Andes, on the border of Peru and Bolivia.
The shipment was destined for the Peruvian capital of Lima, where the frogs are widely used in traditional medicine and in dishes said to increase customers’ libido.
Some traditional healers make a brew with frog extract that they call the “Viagra of the Incas,” named after the civilization that ruled a vast South American empire in the 15th and 16th centuries.
The drink is also said to have a wide range of medicinal properties.
The Lake Titicaca frog (Telmatobius culeus), one of the largest species of aquatic frogs in the world, is native to Peru and parts of Bolivia.
The population of this frog, which is listed as an endangered species in Peru, has declined by an estimated 80 percent over the past 15 years due to illegal trade, climate change and pollution.
Wildlife trafficking is a crime punishable in Peru by fines of over $14,500, more than 50 times the monthly minimum wage.
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