Peruvian frogs saved from blender

Frog cocktails are popular in Peru

Officials in Peru have saved about 5,000 frogs from being liquidised and turned into a popular drink with supposed aphrodisiac qualities.

The rare Telmatobious frogs were found hidden in crates in an abattoir in the Peruvian capital, Lima.

"We were checking the fridges when out jumped a frog," an official was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying.

The amphibians, which were destined for frog cocktails sold in central Lima, were returned to their natural habitat.

Shops which sell the drink keep the frogs in tanks which customers can choose from.

The rescued frogs had apparently been brought from lakes in the high Andes.

About 1,000 died before they could be released back into the wild.