Taiwan has started hunting buffalo toads. Protective gloves on their hands and flashlight in their fists, dozens of volunteers from the Amphibian Conservation Society recently searched paddy fields and vegetable gardens in search of this potentially dangerous animal.
In Taiwan, toads are a symbol of prosperity, but this unexpected discovery has prompted authorities and environmentalists to take action to contain their spread. There should be no reason for these large, highly poisonous amphibians to exist in Chaotun, a commune in the foothills of Taiwan’s central mountain range. Native to South and Central America, this species had previously caused damage in Australia and the Philippines but had never been recorded in Taiwan. Until last month, when a resident reported seeing them in her vegetable garden.
???? Dozens of volunteers scour the rice fields and vegetable gardens in search of it: the buffalo toad.
This dangerous and invasive species from Latin America is multiplying in certain areas of the island ⤵️ #AFP #AFPTV pic.twitter.com/YlP0GaSLbX– Agence France-Presse (@afpfr) December 7, 2021
They secrete a dangerous poison
“A rapid and massive search operation is crucial when buffalo toads are first discovered,” Lin Chun-fu, an amphibian scientist at the Endemic Species Research Institute, told AFP. “Their size is very large and they have no natural enemies here in Taiwan,” he adds.
Shortly after the photo was posted online, Yang Yi-ju, an expert at Dong Hwa National University, sent a group of volunteers from the Amphibian Conservation Society to investigate. When they got to the vegetable garden, they were shocked to find 27 toads in the immediate vicinity. The intruders were quickly identified as rhinella marina, recognizable by the large partoid glands behind their ears, which secrete a dangerous poison.
Buffalo toads are an invasive species. Voracious predators, they reproduce very easily and are poisonous, a particularly dangerous defense mechanism for dogs who might lick or bite them. Local farmers told conservationists they noticed the arrival of these large toads, but never reported it.
Over 200 buffalo toads captured
“Taiwanese farmers usually ignore toads and even view them favorably because they help rid the soil of pests and are said to bring good luck,” Yang said. It never occurred to them that this was an invasive species from a foreign country ”.
Conservation officials and environmental volunteers worked tirelessly to conduct a careful search within a 4-kilometer radius. So far, more than 200 buffalo toads of various sizes have been captured and housed at the Endemic Species Research Institute.
These amphibians are on the list of “100 invasive alien species” established by the Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG), an international advisory body. Formerly used in sugar plantations to hunt sugarcane beetles, these toads have been introduced to plantations in Australia, the Philippines, Japan, the Caribbean as well as Florida and Hawaii where they have caused disease. damage to ecosystems.
Symbol of longevity
In Chinese culture, toads are a symbol of wealth, longevity, and luck. “In storefronts you can find toad totems, designs and even real live toads. It is a symbol of fortune and good luck, ”says Mr. Lin.
Until 2016, it was legal to import toads to Taiwan as pets, where they could fetch between 3,000 and 4,000 Taiwan dollars (95 to 127 euros). But conservationists believe that since imports were banned people have started to breed giant toads locally and some have escaped or been abandoned.
So far, the presence of buffalo toads has not been reported elsewhere in Taiwan. “It’s next spring, during the mating season, that we will really know if we have contained” the spread, said Ms. Yang.
