Asian snake farms: conservation curse or sustainable enterprise?

Abstract

Snake farming in Asia has increased over the past decade, and conservationists have expressed concerns that farms may foster overexploitation of wild populations and create legal conduits for illegally harvested wild individuals. We conducted face-to-face interviews with snake farmers in Viet Nam and China, with the aim of describing the basic models under which snakes are farmed for meat. We synthesized this information to assess the feasibility of farming snakes for human consumption, drawing conclusions about the impact of this industry on the conservation of wild snake populations. The most commonly farmed snakes include the monocled cobra Naja kaouthia, the Chinese cobra Naja atra, the oriental rat snake Ptyas mucosus and the king cobra Ophiophagus hannah. These species have life histories that are compatible with the demands of intensive livestock production, including early maturity, rapid growth rates, high reproductive output, efficient food assimilation rates and undemanding space requirements. Snake farmers appear to be capitalizing on the unique energy-efficiency of snakes to produce meat for human consumption. We conclude that the ease and profitability of farming snakes in China and Viet Nam make farming a viable substitute for harvesting wild snakes, with apparently minimal threat to wild populations. Snake farming offers a range of novel agricultural opportunities and has the potential to play a pivotal role in sustainable development.

Molecular identification and phylogenetic analysis of Cryptosporidium, Hepatozoon and Spirometra in snakes from central China

“…Notably, all C. baileyi and C. parvum positive individuals were captive-bred and raised. Previous studies and our survey confirmed E. carinata , N. atra , N. kaouthia and P. mucosa are the most extensively farmed snake species since they accept dead or defrosted feeder animals, and thus are easy to be intensively farmed (Aust et al, 2017). All five captive snake species in our study were maintained on a diet of farm supplied quick-frozen defeathered young chicks of ducks, quails, and layer fowls along with their eggs.…”

“…There is a long history of exploitation of snakes in Asia in traditional medicine and as food. Snake farming is now extensive in China since the dietary habit has spread all over the country and was boosted by rapid economic growth (Aust et al, 2017). On three farms alone in Guangdong Province there were 40,000 captive-bred oriental rat snakes in a single year and captive bred snakes were occasionally released to reinforce the wild population (Jiang et al, 2013).…”

“…Snakes have long been considered a delicacy and traditional medicine in China and other Asian countries (Zhou and Jiang, 2005). Previous surveys showed that snake farming in China and southeast Asia has greatly increased over the last twenty years, and the total quantity of snakes traded in China each year is estimated to be 7000–9000 tons (Aust et al, 2017; Zhou and Jiang, 2004). More than 3600 tons of snakes were consumed annually in a single Chinese city, Guangzhou (Wang et al, 2011, 2014a).…”

Sustainable management of the trade in reticulated python skins in Indonesia and Malaysia

“…Although imposing a ban may appear to benefit python conservation, it is important to understand the potential impact of that management option on pythons in these countries, and the people relying on them (Weber et al 2015). Asian snakes have been traded for a variety of purposes for centuries (Natusch and Lyons, 2014;Aust et al 2016). Banning the international trade in skins is unlikely to discourage people from harvesting snakes, which will continue to be used for the domestic leather industry, traditional medicines and food.…”

Wildlife Farms, Stigma and Harm

“…While much of the scientific debate over wildlife farms has occurred in the conservation literature, other elements are also relevant to the discussion. Wildlife farms can provide livelihoods and/or food security to impoverished communities [ 24 , 25 ]. The economic impacts on communities depends upon the species and the geographic context.…”