Giant salamanders: Farmed yet endangered

Using the 2020 global pandemic as a springboard to highlight the need for amphibian conservation in eastern Asia

“…Human-mediated translocations, trade, and release for commercial farming have also led to hybridisation and genetic homogenisation, blurring range delineations through population admixture. Wild Chinese giant salamander populations are now critically depleted or extirpated over much of their range ( Turvey et al, 2019 ; Yan et al, 2018 ), and extinction risk did not improve following the release of hundreds of thousands of farmed individuals into the wild ( Lu et al, 2020 ; Yan et al, 2018 ). The genus Tylototriton contains morphologically similar species ( AmphibiaWeb, 2020 ), several of which are listed as threatened (Endangered and Vulnerable) on The IUCN Red list of Threatened Species and Chinese Red Lists ( Jiang et al, 2016 ).…”

“…There is a need for co-ordinated monitoring and protection of Andrias spp., as well as strengthening of legislation and enforcement to protect any surviving wild populations ( Turvey et al, 2018 ). Thus, termination of commercial farming in or near reserves because of the difficulty in regulating poaching, genetic testing for origin of clade before reintroduction, and the development of ecotourism to raise awareness has been recommended ( Lu et al, 2020 ). While the original intention was likely to use ex situ breeding of Andrias spp.…”

COVID-19 Highlights the Need for More Effective Wildlife Trade Legislation

“…A general policy of ecosystem restoration is needed at a broad scale for most countries [ 3 ]. In Asia in particular, some of the specific issues that need to be addressed immediately to decrease the risk of novel zoonotic pathogens include the consumption of wildlife and the trade of species for farming and the pet trade, which facilitate the human–wildlife interface [ 11 ].…”

Influence of Frying Methods on Quality Characteristics and Volatile Flavor Compounds of Giant Salamander (Andrias davidianus) Meatballs

“…is species enjoys high edible and medicinal value, because its skin, skin secretion, muscle, blood, and bone contain many bio-active substances [2]. At present, artificial culture of Andrias davidianus has been industrialized in Hanzhong, Zhangjiajie, Henan, Luoyang, Guizhou, Sichuan, and Chongqing (China) [3,4]. Owing to its growing quantity and diminishing cost, a lot of work have been done to transform cultured Andrias davidianus to high-valued commodities [4].…”