Hainan's response to noisy frog complaint goes viral

A call for humans and animals to live in harmony, made by the authorities in Hainan, has gone viral.

The authorities were responding to a complaint by a resident of the coastal city of Sanya that croaking frogs were keeping him awake at night.

Hainan authorities call for humans to live in harmony with animals, in response to a noisy frog complaint, has gone viral. [File photo: VCG]

This was the first time they'd received such a complaint, and a frog's croaking doesn't actually violate any laws or regulations, a local environmental official told the China News Service.

Responding to the sleepless resident, the authorities urged people not to damage the creature's habitat, but instead to have more tolerance and understanding.

They added that humans and animals should live in harmony for a better world.

The response from officials has prompted heated discussion online, and has received the backing of many people.

The return of the frogs is a sign of an improving ecology, some say. Great efforts have been made by the Hainan authorities to promote ecological progress in the past few years.

Others have joked, "If the frogs could complain, they might argue that they were here first, and maybe we humans should move on."