US shoppers hopping mad over frog dissection kit

NEW YORK, Nov 22 (Reuters) On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me ... a frog dissection kit? Shoppers at upscale US menswear and accessory store Jack Spade in Manhattan's trendy SoHo district were hopping mad to see frog dissection kits selling alongside 775 dollar leather file cases and 145 dollar Italian calfskin passport holders.

The 40 dollar kit came in a cloth bag complete with a vacuum-sealed formaldehyde-treated frog, scissors, magnifying glass, forceps, probing sticks, ruler, instruction booklet on how to explore the animal's innards, and a moist towelette.

After a barrage of complaints from shoppers and animal activists, the store said yesterday that it had cleared its shelves of the kits and would no longer offer them.

''We're going to issue an apology,'' said company spokesman Mordechai Rubinstein.

''The intent was to celebrate science and biology, present something educational for children and adults,'' he said. ''Jack Spade doesn't support the unethical treatment of animals.'' Animal campaign group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said it wrote to the company last week after receiving complaints about the product.

''We were shocked to discover that the dissection kit contains the carcass of a real frog,'' said spokesman Michael McGraw.

The Jack Spade store said it only sold a handful of the kits before ditching the idea.

Reuters MS RS0947