Picture this: you’re in Puerto Rico, an island so lush and magical it’s literally nicknamed La Isla del Encanto. The palm trees sway. The mofongo is perfectly garlicky. And, as night falls, you hear it that rhythmic, hypnotic “ko-KEE, ko-KEE” sound from the island’s coqui frog.
For locals, this is home. For many visitors, it’s enchanting. For one unfortunate Reddit user? It was … a noise complaint.
That’s right. Someone on Reddit recently asked for spray recommendations to silence the coquí frogs, as in, a tourist wanted to chemically quiet one of Puerto Rico’s most treasured and protected natural species. It was the ecological equivalent of stomping into Italy and asking for tips on bleaching the Sistine Chapel ceiling because you didn’t like the color scheme.
The Coquí Frog: Smaller Than Your AirPods, Louder Than Your Entitlement
The Eleutherodactylus coqui, or just “coquí” to anyone who’s ever experienced joy, is a tiny frog, often no bigger than a bottle cap, that belts out its famous two-note call from dusk till dawn. It’s a sound so beloved that it’s considered part lullaby, and part national anthem.
Puerto Ricans don’t just tolerate the coquí, they celebrate it. “El coquí es el white noise boricua,” said one commenter on Reddit. Others chimed in to confirm: “El coquí es sonido que va con el abanico sí o sí.”
Translation: “The coquí is the Puerto Rican white noise,” and “The coquí is a sound that goes with the fan, no matter what.”
And yet, this one visitor, a brave keyboard warrior who took to Reddit under the username “Doodie-man-bunz,” thought maybe the frogs should pipe down a bit. The internet, as you may have guessed, did not agree.
Puerto Rico to Tourist: ‘Get Earplugs or Get Out’
The backlash was swift, multilingual, and beautifully unified in its message: Do. Not. Mess. With. Our. Coquí.
“Si los turistas están hablando del coquí, deben ir pensando en buscarse otra isla para vivir.”
“Holy f***! Just get earplugs or get the f*** out of the island instead of killing our endemic animals. Godd*mn.”
The vibe was clear: You don’t spray the coquí. You spray yourself with some bug repellent, put in earplugs, and reflect quietly on how beautiful the world is when you’re not trying to murder its melodies.
The Coquí Is Sacred
This isn’t just about a cute little frog, though the coquí is very cute. It’s about identity, ecology, and the deep connection Puerto Ricans have with their land. The coquí is endemic to Puerto Rico, meaning that it naturally exists nowhere else in the world. (Yes, there are invasive populations in Hawaii, but that’s another colonial frog drama for another day.)
One user passionately explained: “Admito que era ignorante también, pero no sin consciencia… Yo aprendí que ‘Borikén’ significa, y como es más que una manera de vida, es el raíz que crece del alma.”
Quick translation: This isn’t just noise. This is soul.
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Another put it plainly: “Coquís are sacred. Like, we would bottle their song if we could.” (Actually, many people already have. Search “coquí sleep sounds” and enjoy the auditory comfort food.)
Final Thoughts: Don’t Colonize the Coquí
There’s a larger story here. One about tourists arriving in beautiful, complex places and expecting them to behave like all-inclusive resorts. As one commenter bluntly put it: “Colonizers doing colonizers activities. They go to someone else’s land, and they feel entitled to it.”
Another said: “They should vacation in Hawaii like normal colonizers.”
Ouch.
The message? Come to Puerto Rico. Fall in love with the food, the music, the people and, yes, the frogs. Let the coquí sing you to sleep and remind you that you’re lucky to hear it. Because in a world of artificial everything, this tiny frog is still singing his truth. Loud, proud, and Puerto Rican.
One Reddit, clearly done with this whole conversation, offered a helpful itinerary for the tourist who complained about the coqui: “Que se vaya de vacaciones a la tundra de Canadá mejor.” (The tourist is better off going on vacation to the Canadian tundra.)
