In fact, many countries in the world have banned the Brazilian tortoise, and the World Wide Fund for Nature, the Amphibians and Reptiles Branch of the Chinese Zoological Society and chinese national geography have all issued appeals to curb its spread.
Around the Brazilian tortoise, the experts of the Amphibians and Reptiles Branch of the Chinese Zoological Society have a clear attitude: don't keep it as a pet, and don't let it go if you keep it.
Status survey:
Hundreds of people can only get the goods on the spot.
Wanshang flower and bird market is located in the city center. Although the area is not large, there are an endless stream of people who come to buy it every day.
At the entrance to the south of the market, you can see a shop specializing in pet turtles. There are many small fish tanks in front of the store, in which more than 10 turtles are placed according to their sizes and types. "This is a grass turtle, this is a Brazilian turtle, and this is ..." Under the guidance of the proprietress, the reporter saw that among these pet turtles, Brazilian turtles of different sizes account for at least one-third of the total, and the prices vary from 5 to 20 yuan according to their sizes.
In the small shop, some adult pet turtles are concentrated in a big jar, roughly estimated to be about twenty or thirty, stacked on top of each other. In addition to Brazilian turtles and longevity turtles, there are also crocodile turtles introduced from abroad. "I haven't heard of anyone buying it in Shanghai, but there are quite a few in Guangdong." The proprietress said that the Brazilian tortoise grows very fast, and it can grow to 3 kg in about 12 years, and most of them are bought for viewing.
I heard that the reporter is going to buy it and let it out. The proprietress strongly suggested buying a cup-sized Brazilian tortoise: "It's cheap, especially good to feed." She said that too small Brazilian tortoises would drown if put into the river, and the older ones would have much stronger viability.
When asked if the release of Brazilian tortoises would have an impact on the river ecology, the proprietress disagreed: "No!"
The proprietress also said that with the approach of Tomb-Sweeping Day, the sales of Brazilian tortoises are good recently, and some people buy dozens of them. "If you want a few hundred, you can get the goods on the spot; If you want more, you don't need to book in advance, just wait a while and you can get the goods. "
In another pet turtle shop on the north side of the market, the proprietress heard that it was going to be used for release, so she recommended to reporters to buy a long-lived turtle, saying that the prices of the two were similar. "The Brazilian turtle is too strong to survive. It will eat all the fish and shrimp in the river, while the local turtle only needs to eat some water plants or something."
"Before, some customers bought Brazilian turtles to go to the Chenghuang Temple and other places to release them, but they were not allowed to release them, because Brazilian turtles would destroy the environment. After that, others will buy the released turtles, and I recommend them to buy local turtles. " The proprietress revealed.
Countermeasures:
Many countries don't allow imports, and I still lack research.
Can the Brazilian tortoise, known as the "ecological killer", still be kept? On this issue, after consulting the official website of the State Forestry Administration, the reporter found that on August 4, 2003, the Brazilian tortoise was listed in the Notice of the State Forestry Administration on Releasing the List of 54 Species of Terrestrial Wild Animals, such as Sika Deer with Mature Domestication and Breeding Techniques. This means that Brazilian tortoises can be farmed artificially after being approved.
On May 4th, 2009, the World Wide Fund for Nature, the Amphibians and Reptiles Branch of the Chinese Zoological Society and the chinese national geography published an appeal, advising the public to buy and raise Brazilian tortoises carefully.
Shi Haitao, deputy director of the amphibian and reptile professional committee of the Chinese Zoological Society, admitted in an interview that due to the hidden living habits of sea turtles, there was a lack of research, including the competent authorities. "The evidence about the destructive harm of the Brazilian tortoise to the natural environment should be learned from other people's experiences."
"The harm of Brazilian tortoises has long been highly valued abroad. The United States 1975 prohibits the domestic trade of underage tortoises, Europe 1997 prohibits the import of tortoises, and South Korea 200 1 prohibits the import of tortoises. " Shi Haitao said, for example.
"We can't wait until it can't be cleaned up like yellow flowers and water hyacinths before we think of governance. It would be too late. " Shi Haitao and Fan Zhiyong, director of the Species Program of WWF, hold the same view.
Latest progress:
The project has been approved and the investigation is in progress.
Fortunately, after a long-term appeal, the relevant departments have realized the impact of Brazilian tortoises on the ecological environment.
According to the website of Hainan Normal University, nine projects were approved by the National Natural Science Foundation of China in 2009. The first project is "Study on Ecological Adaptation Mechanism of Exotic Red-eared Turtle (the scientific name of Brazilian Turtle)", and the category column is "Major International Cooperation Research Project", and the project leader is Shi Haitao.
Shi Haitao revealed that an investigation has been carried out on the living conditions of Brazilian tortoises in the wild in China. "The content includes what kind of environment the Brazilian tortoise likes, what kind of food it depends on and its impact on the local environment." "I hope that the study can provide reference for the government to formulate relevant laws and policies such as import management, feeding management and release activities management of foreign species such as Brazilian tortoises." Shi Haitao said.
Brazilian tortoise: Grab food and drink, grab territory and carry infectious germs.
Found in the south-central mainland, after 20 years of "invasion", it has become the most common turtle in Taiwan Province Province.
What does it matter to us that Brazilian turtles are released into the wild?
In the eyes of experts who advocate curbing the spread of Brazilian tortoise, Brazilian tortoise, like water hyacinth and Solidago, is an alien invasive creature and an "ecological killer". Some experts even worry that in the next 10 or 20 years, there will be only one kind of tortoise left in the rivers in central and southern China-the Brazilian tortoise with bright colors and red stripes on its head, and the old-fashioned local tortoise will be completely extinct.
Based on this, on May 14, 2009, the World Wide Fund for Nature, the Amphibians and Reptiles Branch of the Chinese Zoological Society and chinese national geography issued an appeal to curb the spread of exotic amphibians and reptiles, such as the Brazilian tortoise, in the wild environment of China, and advised the public to purchase and raise them cautiously.
So, in the eyes of experts, where is the "eco-killer" nature of the Brazilian tortoise? The morning paper asked them to help you analyze it together.
Harm of Brazilian tortoise 1:
May lead to the extinction of native turtles.
According to the appeal, the Brazilian tortoise "has been listed as one of the 100 most threatened alien species in the world by the World Conservation Union, with diverse feeding habits, diverse habitats and strong reproduction, competition and tolerance. It is fiercely competitive in the wild environment, encroaching on the habitat of native species, leading to the endangerment or extinction of native turtles, destroying the local food web, causing species simplification and greatly endangering the natural ecological balance. "
Shi Haitao, deputy director of the amphibian and reptile professional committee of the Chinese Zoological Society, has studied Brazilian tortoises for many years and visited many Brazilian tortoises farms on the spot. He was deeply impressed by their super adaptability.
Shi Haitao said that a survey report showed that the wild area where Brazilian tortoises were found spanned central and southern China, including rural and urban areas. "Brazilian tortoises can eat plants, eat small fish eats shrimp, tadpoles and even frogs, and local tortoises can't grab them at all." Shi Haitao said that if the density of Brazilian tortoises in the river is too high, it will destroy the local food web and lead to the endangered species of native tortoises.
In Taiwan Province Province, scientific investigation proves that the Brazilian tortoise is a veritable "ecological killer". According to the data, there are five species of native freshwater turtles in Taiwan Province Province, namely snake-eating turtles, wooden coffin turtles, Chinese soft-shelled turtles, golden turtles and spotted turtles. However, in recent 20 years, due to ecological deterioration and the introduction of Brazilian tortoises, the number of native freshwater tortoises has dropped sharply, and Brazilian tortoises have become the most common turtle species in Taiwan Province Province.
Studies by scholars in Taiwan Province Province also show that in the middle reaches of Keelung River, the number of freshwater turtles captured by Brazilian turtles from 1995 to 1996 is14%; From 200 1 to 2002, the proportion of Brazilian tortoises has exceeded 16%, and the proportion of investigations in recent years has exceeded 22%.
There is a similar situation in Europe: French scholars have done experiments on the influence of Brazilian turtles on the survival of European native pond turtles. The results show that the Brazilian turtle has a significant advantage in competing for food and habitat, and the weight of the European pond turtle living in the same pool with the Brazilian turtle has dropped significantly.
Some experts also pointed out that because of its strong adaptability, and because it is an alien species without natural enemies in China, the Brazilian tortoise has become more unscrupulous.
Harm of Brazilian tortoise II:
Causing gene deletion of native turtles
The second accusation in the appeal is that "the Brazilian turtle can cross with other native freshwater turtles, resulting in the gene deletion of the native freshwater turtle, which greatly affects the genetic diversity of the native freshwater turtle".
Shi Haitao once saw a baby turtle born on a farm, which was a cross between a Brazilian turtle and a local freshwater turtle. "Due to factors such as release, in a certain water area, Brazilian tortoises often occupy an absolute advantage in quantity, which increases the possibility of cross-breeding between Brazilian tortoises and native freshwater turtles. In the long run, the genes of native turtles will no longer be pure, and may also lead to slow extinction, leading to species simplification. "
Harm 3 of Brazilian tortoise:
Carrying paratyphoid bacteria can infect people.
The appeal also stated that "Brazilian turtles are also the chief culprit in the spread of Salmonella, and 85% of cultured turtles carry Salmonella paratyphi A, especially young turtles. These germs have been proved to spread to warm-blooded animals, including people, and spread among them. "
Shi Haitao revealed that the above research is still in progress. "Children are advised not to keep Brazilian tortoises as pets. If you have been kept as a pet, you must pay attention to washing your hands in time after contacting the Brazilian tortoise, and don't eat immediately. "
appeal
The government should strictly control the Brazilian tortoise, and the public should not keep it.
On May 14, 2009, the World Wide Fund for Nature, the Amphibians and Reptiles Branch of the Chinese Zoological Society and chinese national geography published an appeal on the Brazilian tortoise. "It still applies today, which is a new appeal," said Shi Haitao, deputy director of the amphibian and reptile professional committee of the Chinese Zoological Society.
1. It is suggested that the relevant government departments formulate relevant laws and policies for the import management, feeding management and release management of exotic species such as the Brazilian tortoise;
2. It is suggested that amphibian and reptile scholars and scholars in related fields pay attention to the research on the invasion of foreign species such as Brazilian tortoise into China;
3. It is suggested that the public should not buy invasive alien species such as Brazilian tortoises as pets;
4. It is suggested that the public should not discard, release and place exotic amphibian and reptile species such as Brazilian tortoise in the wild.
Brazilian tortoise, scientific name red-eared turtle, has two thick red stripes on both sides of its head, belonging to freshwater turtle.
The Brazilian tortoise originated in the south-central United States and has now appeared in Europe, Africa, Oceania, Asia and America outside the United States.
In 1980s, Brazilian tortoise entered China, and now it has become the largest and cheapest turtle on the market, and many people keep it as a pet. At the same time, because a large number of people abandoned or released Brazilian turtles, the chances of finding Brazilian turtles in the wild in the mainland are getting higher and higher.
Experts say that few people insist on keeping a Brazilian tortoise, because it will always grow, from the size of an egg to the size of a palm, to the size of a bowl, and then to the size of a washbasin. "I can't put it down at home and have raised it for so many years. I had feelings and didn't have the heart to kill it, so I let it go and finally destroyed the environment. So in the final analysis, don't raise it. "
visit
Brazilian tortoises are extremely fertile.
Jiading Special Aquaculture Experimental Field is located in Huating Town, Jiading, which can hatch more than 300,000 turtles every year. Yesterday, a Brazilian turtle breeder introduced the living habits, incubation and breeding of Brazilian turtles.
It is reported that in 2003, the farm bought the first batch of Brazilian tortoises, with tens of thousands of them, and the male-female ratio was about 1:4. "Brazilian tortoises generally take five or six years to mature sexually and lay eggs after mating. Brazilian turtles eat all kinds of things, and they eat vegetarian food. Besides the feed prepared in the experimental field, Brazilian tortoises also like eat small fish, shrimp and tadpoles. They also eat vegetables and watermelons. " The breeder said.
Under different environmental conditions, the living habits of Brazilian tortoises will be different. According to the breeder, under the climatic conditions in Shanghai, the Brazilian tortoise in the farm hibernates from the end of 10 to the middle of April the following year.
The spawning time of Brazilian tortoise is mostly concentrated in May 15 to July 15. "The Brazilian tortoise lays eggs four times a year on average, with an interval of about half a month, and can produce 10 eggs at a time. In other words, a Brazilian turtle can lay more than 40 eggs a year under normal circumstances. "
After the eggs laid by the Brazilian tortoise are picked up by farm workers, they need to be hatched in the incubation room for more than 80 days. "What's even more powerful is that the success rate of eggs hatched by Brazilian turtles is over 90%, and as soon as the little turtles come out of the eggshell, they can adapt to the wild environment and can be sold directly to the flower and bird market."
The breeder also revealed that he had seen the eggs of Brazilian turtles hatch into small turtles under natural conditions. "This shows that the Brazilian tortoise has the possibility of natural reproduction in Shanghai."
As a large producer of Brazilian tortoise, its economic benefits are greatly affected by the market. It is understood that around 2004 and 2005, when the Brazilian tortoise seedlings were the most expensive, one could be sold to around 10 yuan.
In addition, as a professional breeding institution, the farm receives a notice from the aquaculture department every year, "It is necessary to prevent the cultured Brazilian tortoise from escaping, because it is an exotic species, fearing that it will have a bad impact on the local ecological environment."
The breeder also said that in people's impression, Brazilian tortoises are kept as pets, but in fact, Brazilian tortoises can be eaten and cooked in soup. "It's just that many people don't know much." (Morning News)