(Nantou County) Protective gloves on hands and flashlight in hand, dozens of volunteers from the Taiwan Amphibian Conservation Society worked through the night to search paddy fields and vegetable gardens in search of their prey: the toad- buffalo.
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 reported in Taiwan.
Until last month, when a resident reported seeing them in her vegetable garden.
“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 parotid glands behind their ears, which secrete a dangerous poison.
Buffalo toads are a dangerous 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.
Symbol of longevity
“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 explained.
“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.
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 3000 and 4000 Taiwan dollars (95 to 127 euros).
But conservationists believe that since imports were banned people have started raising 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 is next spring, during the mating season, that we will really know if we have contained” the spread, estimates Mme Yang.