Cover photo courtesy of Jack Gerber
On February 10, the Loveland Frogman was captured and taken to the Cincinnati Zoo. Although many believed that the Frogman did not exist, you can now see the creature on display. This breakthrough has caused lots of buzz around Loveland after over 50 years since the first sighting of this strange creature. Loveland is now home to the only Frogman.
The first sighting of this creature was in 1972 by a Loveland police officer. Officer Ray Shockey said that he was driving alongside the Little Miami River around 1:00 AM when he saw an unknown creature run across the road. He described it as three to four feet tall, ranging from 50 to 75 pounds. Shockey said the creature stood up on the guardrail in a frog-like position before scurrying back into the Little Miami River. The next sighting was by two teenagers in 2016. They were near Lake Isabella late at night and saw a giant frog walking on its hind legs near the water. These two sightings were the only ones of the Frogman anywhere until this year.
At 2:35 AM on February 10th, a couple was walking out of Cindy’s Friendly Tavern in Downtown Loveland and viewed a bizarre sight. The legendary Loveland Frogman was curled up under the railroad bridge that traverses Karl Brown Way, next to Loveland Canoe and Kayak. The couple rushed back into Cindy’s to call for help. However, only a few of the patrons believed them, so the couple called the police. At 2:47 AM police arrived on the scene and were able to tranquilize the Frogman. Officers were conflicted at first on whether to take him to jail or to call animal control. Police loaded the tranquilized Frogman into the back of their truck and the creature was transported to the jail.
Once the sedative wore off, the Frogman was surprisingly calm and cooperative. The police were unsure of what to feed the creature. They tried a variety of food items, but the Frogman rejected almost all food. However, the only food that the Frogman enjoyed was pizza from The Works and coffee from Mile 42. City councilmen voted to move the Frogman to the Cincinnati Zoo for a more in-depth examination.
The Frogman was transported to the Cincinnati Zoo on Monday, February 13th. The zookeepers put the Frogman in his own enclosure near the reptiles. When in the custody of the Loveland Police, the Frogman only consumed food from businesses in Downtown Loveland. The zookeepers supplied lots of frog food, however, Paxton’s Grill had to make a special delivery to the Cincinnati Zoo for the Frogman.
The Loveland Frogman is enjoying his stay at the Cincinnati Zoo. The creature is friendly to zoo keepers and observers that come to visit him in his enclosure. Visitors are amazed by the half-frog and half-man creature and intrigued by his unusual eating habits. Local restaurants like The Works, Paxton’s, Ramesy’s, and Mile 42 Coffee make multiple visits to the zoo to deliver food for the Frogman. Stop by the Cincinnati Zoo to see Loveland’s greatest myth proven true.