RECENTLY I was reminded that not everything in nature conservation is always easy and sometimes difficult decisions have to be made for the greater good.
This article is of special importance to all those in the import/export business and also those who work with shipping containers.
A man by the name of Matthew who lives on the Bluff phoned me recently, had been in contact with my friend Nick Evans regarding a frog he had found while unpacking a shipping container that had come from Asia. Fortunately he had the presence of mind to not just release the frog into our natural environment.
Nick Evans put Matthew in contact with me and we made arraignments to collect the frog. Nick had also been in contact with Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife to see what must be done with the frog. They gave instructions that the frog must be euthanased as it posed a real risk to our frog populations by possibly introducing parasites to our native frog species.
Once I had the frog, I entertained the idea of keeping it as a pet, but first I had to find out what it was, as there are many poisonous frogs in the world and I did not want to accidentally poison myself. After a quick search on Google, I managed to ID the frog as being an Asian common toad. I then found an article about this toad which changed my mind about keeping it as a pet.
In short this toad was accidentally introduced to Madagascar, funny enough by shipping containers.
But none of the natural predators in Madagascar can handle the toxins that are emitted in this toad’s skin, meaning that anything that eats this toad will die. This toad is doing untold damage to the eco-system of Madagascar, which will probably lead to the extinction of some of the most unique creatures on the planet, if nothing is done about it soon. Even certain lemur species are at risk. How sad would that be?
Though it was a tough decision to make, I euthanased the toad in a humane manner, as one cannot risk our natural biodiversity because of one species that arrived here by accident. Prevention is better than cure.
If you are involved with the packing and unpacking of goods from ships, keep your eyes open for little stowaways. If found, contact the relevant wildlife authorities such as Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife or even CROW before releasing it into the wild. Even though you have the animal’s best interest at heart, your single act of kindness can have detrimental consequences to our natural environment for decades to come.
Also a note to all exotic pet owners, whether they are mammals, reptiles, amphibians or insects, be responsible and never release your ‘pets’ intentionally or unintentionally into the wild. They can have an equally detrimental effect on our local eco-systems.
One such species is the red eared slider turtle, which is often sold at pet stores. These are quite cute and manageable when small, but when they outgrow their intended habitat, often they simply get dumped into local streams and ponds. With this turtle comes a parasite that is detrimental to our indigenous species of terrapins.
The topic of alien invasive fauna and flora goes way beyond the extent of this article and probably more in-depth than we could imagine. From your pet cat to that strange looking plant in the corner of your garden, please be careful and do your research before acquiring and exotic pets or plants.
If you would like to have your bugs, spiders or snakes identified or relocated, WhatsApp or call Warren on 072-211-0353.
