‘Don’t Lick That!’ National Park Officials Warn Why You Shouldn’t Lick Toads
From the file “don’t lick that” comes another entry. This time it comes from the National Park Service. With all the different things people are doing to get their bodies to have a particular effect, grabbing another animal and giving it a taste test… why? Okay, I understand the “why”; people are trying to get high. I guess the real question is… how did they figure it out?
Think about it, the first person to ever get high from licking a toad. You know it had to be a drunken bet:
Man one - “Hey, I’ll give you five bucks to lick that frog!”
Man two - “Heck no, I’m not licking a frog!”
Man one - “Ten bucks?”
Man two - “Hold my beer.”
Alright, enough with the silly time; this is a serious topic, especially if you’re the toad. Just sitting there minding your own toad business, then out of nowhere, some random dude (I’m assuming it’s a guy) picks you up and licks you, then drops you back to the ground. That will be a heck of a story to tell your toad family.
Okay, now I’m really done with the silly thoughts. This is serious, so serious that the NPS had to release a statement via their Facebook Page warning and pleading with people to stop licking toads for the hallucinating effects. These toads are found all over North America, especially in Colorado, California, Oregon & Washington.
“These toads have prominent parotoid glands that secrete a potent toxin. It can make you sick if you handle the frog or get the poison in your mouth. As we say with most things you come across in a national park, whether it be a banana slug, unfamiliar mushroom, or a large toad with glowing eyes in the dead of night, please refrain from licking. Thank you. Toot!” – National Park Service
You can check out the full Facebook post below. I guess a good rule of thumb when it comes to things you can lick… if it’s meant to be licked or gives consent, have fun.