Last year, Larry Ellison, the billionaire CEO of Oracle, fulfilled a life-long dream by buying the Hawaiian island of Lanai. The island is a quiet oasis, home to rolling pineapple fields, colorful little houses, and two Four Seasons resorts -- all of which Ellison now owns. It is, according to the Wall Street Journal, his very own Fantasy Island.
So when an unwelcome visitor was spotted on the island, Ellison's operational entity, Pulama Lanai, sprung into action. They initiated an alert and set up a hotline. A single male coqui frog, which is roughly the size of a coin, had been spotted and captured, and residents have been asked to report if any more of the pesky amphibians are spotted or heard on the island.
To be fair, coqui frogs are both invasive to Hawaii and can be extremely loud. They "make a high-pitched, shrill chirping sound," according to Pacific Business News, and even though they already have a presence on the Big Island and parts of Oahu, they have yet to establish themselves on Lanai. Ellison, it seems, is determined to ensure they don't.
Strangely, coqui frogs are a beloved cultural icon in their native Puerto Rico. Puerto Ricans often say "Soy de aqui como el coqui." I'm as Puerto Rican as a coqui. Beauty, apparently, is in the ear of the beholder.
Watch the below video of coqui frogs to decide for yourself: prize or pest?
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