Tourist Wants To ‘Spray Away’ the Coquí, the Island’s Soundtrack, and Puerto Ricans Are Outraged

Tourist Wants To 'Spray Away' the Coquí, the Island's Soundtrack, and Puerto Ricans Are Outraged

The island night does not go quiet. It hums, it pulses, it sings with the voice of the coquí. To Puerto Ricans, that sound is not noise. It is not something to be silenced. It is presence. It is memory. It is the sound of home. When a tourist on Reddit suggested spraying them into silence, many did not see a passing annoyance. They saw a deeper ignorance. They saw disregard. Some saw violence, this time directed at a creature that belongs to the island more than any visitor ever could.

The Reddit Post That Fueled a Fire

The Reddit post came from a user named “Doodie Man Bunz” and read like a request in a travel forum. “Spray to keep the loud frogs quiet? I overheard a couple at a restaurant in Condado talking about spraying at their Airbnb to keep the frogs from croaking all night as they are extremely loud, and they said it worked. I didn’t catch what type of product it was and they left before I got a chance to ask themand I haven’t found anything online or in stores. Anyone know what they might be using? I definitely would like to get some. I love nature but my god those things are so loud at night and a little annoying.”

 

View on Threads

 

The phrasing struck nerves. In Puerto Rico, the coquí is not a background chorus to be controlled. It is sacred. Screenshots of the post moved quickly through social media. The outrage followed and boricuas are not happy.

The language felt familiar. The tone, many said, revealed something more than discomfort. To ask how to mute the coquí is to ask how to mute Puerto Rico.

@merlien07

Sigo sin creerlo.‼️ #boricua #paratiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii #fypシ゚viral #merlienpr #fypシ #🇵🇷 #puertorico #alerta #coqui

♬ original sound – MERLIEN 💜🇵🇷

Extinction Is Not a Metaphor

Once there were seventeen types of coquí in Puerto Rico. Three are gone. Four are in danger. Scientists now say the nights of the island could fall silent. Two species have already vanished from the protected rainforest of El Yunque. The names of the others linger in reports and records — the palmeado, eneida, dorado — names many islanders never had the chance to know before they disappeared.

What makes the loss heavier is that it comes alongside contempt. The Reddit post was not an isolated complaint. It echoed a pattern. Across the island, locals have watched Airbnb listings replace homes. They have seen visitors come for paradise and leave offended by its sounds. The frogs never left. But the respect has.

The coquí, no larger than a coin, now carries weight greater than its size. It sings with a voice that cannot adapt to foreign expectations. That voice is not optional. It is not an inconvenience. It does not belong in someone else’s soundscape. It belongs in Puerto Rico.

Questioning What Lies Beneath

The anger aimed at the Reddit user has grown into something broader. For many, the offense was not only what was said. It was the casual nature of how it was said. Would such a comment be made about an animal native to a different place, a different people, a different culture? Would it be as easy to call for silence if the song belonged to someone else?

People are wondering whether this was not only ignorance. They are asking whether it reflects how some view places where Latinos are not hosts but natives. In the current climate, where Latino immigrants and communities are still treated with suspicion and often reduced to stereotypes, it is difficult to ignore the context.

But let’s not forget: In Puerto Rico, the night has a voice. The people hear it and feel home. Others hear it and reach for something to make it stop. That difference says everything.

For Image credit or remove please email for immediate removal - info@belatina.com