The sale of tarantulas in Cambodia for food or medicine: is it sustainable?

Yen, Alan L.; Ro, Sophoanrith

doi:10.11609/jott.o3149.153

Cited by 20 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…In the case of spiders, the benefits include their role in the food chain in maintaining ecosystem services such as pest control (Palis 1998;Hodge 1999;Maloney, Drummond and Alford 2003;Nyffeler and Sunderland 2003), as a food source for lizards and wasps (Vandermeer 2006;Gunnarsson 2007), as a source of nest material for birds (Hansel 1993), providing useful products like silk, medicines, and food for humans (Yen 1995;Reynaud-Athenor 2003;Machkour-M'Rabet et al 2011;Yen and Ro 2013), and contributing to an appreciation of nature (Wise 1993). The negative aspects include phobias, health dangers associated with venom, and the health dangers related to inappropriate use of chemical pesticides.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Japan (Laurent 2005), and the Philippines and Singapore (Matejowsky 2003), spiders are pitted in combats, while in Cambodia and Thailand, Papua New Guinea, north-eastern India, and Venezuela, arachnids are consumed (Healey and Florey 2003;Michalski and Michalski 2010;Yen and Ro 2013). By providing various spiders for consumption, the town of Skun in Cambodia, aptly named "spiderville," caters to local, regional, and international travellers (Yen and Ro 2013).…”

Section: Cultural Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…By providing various spiders for consumption, the town of Skun in Cambodia, aptly named "spiderville," caters to local, regional, and international travellers (Yen and Ro 2013). In some peculiar instances, spiders are also integrated into sexual practices.…”

Section: Cultural Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Human–Spider Entanglements: Understanding and Managing the Good, the Bad, and the Venomous

Lemelin

Yen

2015

Anthroz Jour Inter Peo Ani

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Considering the fear that spiders can generate in humans, examining human-spider interactions in urban settings may at first glance appear odd. However, human-spider interactions, which occur quite frequently in urban settings, do not necessarily have to be negative; they can, in some cases, foster respect and tolerance (sometimes through avoidance). When one considers how global transformations, invasive species, urbanization, and adaptation will impact human-spider interactions, a review of the literature pertaining to these encounters is timely. We begin this discussion by describing spiders and providing an overview of some of their positive and negative impacts. Challenges regarding species identification and envenoming are also discussed. After the role of biological, psychological, and social aspects in human-spider interactions are re-examined, we provide future options aimed at organizing broad-scale public programs for five specific target groups: 1) the general public, 2) health professionals, 3) educators, 4) naturalists, and 5) researchers. In the conclusion, we provide potential management and educational strategies aimed at increasing our knowledge and tolerance of these animals in urban settings.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Cultural Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Human–Spider Entanglements: Understanding and Managing the Good, the Bad, and the Venomous

Lemelin

Yen

2015

Anthroz Jour Inter Peo Ani

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“…Declines have been reported for Melipona beecheii bee in Mexico (Villanueva-G et al, 2005) and tarantulas in Cambodia (Yen and Ro, 2013). In Botswana, the plant Colophospermum mopane is host to mopane caterpillars (Imbrasia belina) and the silkworm Gonometa postica; both are harvested for subsistence and for trade, but higher harvest rates are recorded during times of crop failure (Sekhwela, 2010 resources, and different product demands (plant products versus insects).…”

Section: Wild Harvestingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insects as food and feed in the Asia Pacific region: current perspectives and future directions

Yen

2015

JIFF

143

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Western cultures currently struggle to have insects accepted as a human food. This barrier is not as high in many parts of the Asia Pacific region because entomophagy is (or was until recent times) a part of their accepted diets. The region is comprised of many different cultural groups and the degree to which they embraced entomophagy has been determined by dietary needs, cultural considerations, and the availability of insects. While entomophagy has decreased in westernised societies, the demand for edible insects has increased in parts of Asia in association with rising standards of living. An assessment of the use of insects as food and feed in the Asia Pacific region is provided and important knowledge gaps are identified. Edible insects are sourced by three main strategies: wild harvesting, semi-domestication of insects in the wild, and farming. Semi-domestication and farming have the potential to provide a more sustainable food supply, but globally 92% of species are wild harvested. The harvested insects come from all trophic levels, although most of the terrestrial edible insect species are herbivores and most species of edible aquatic species are predators. The increased demand for edible insects puts pressure on the source populations because new technologies are now used to harvest insects more efficiently and to store them safely for longer periods, facilitating the harvesting of greater amounts of insects. This, in combination with either loss of natural habitats or changes to the environment, puts even more pressure on insect populations. The over harvesting of edible insects from different trophic levels could have long term adverse implications for ecosystem processes in Asia Pacific and other regions.

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“…elephant ivory, bear bile; Stiles 2004, Meijaard 1999) for medicines or human aesthetic purposes or to make them less dangerous (e.g. sawing of the sharp teeth of gibbons, defanging tarantulas; Yen & Ro 2013). In either case, animals are generally destined to live out their lives in captivity, unable to eat or defend themselves in the wild, or die as a result of the procedures.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trialling exudate-based enrichment efforts to improve the welfare of rescued slow lorises Nycticebus spp.

Gray¹,

Nekaris

2015

Endang. Species. Res.

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Slow lorises Nycticebus spp. are heavily targeted in the illegal animal trade throughout Southeast Asia. Because lorises are venomous, many have their teeth inhumanely removed by animal traders in order to 'tame' them to live as pets or to be used for tourist photography. Confiscated animals are brought to rescue centres where captive care and rehabilitation has proven challenging. Many rescue centres report high mortality, high rates of abnormal behaviour, and low rates of successful reintroductions. Most centres, however, provide little or no gums or saps to these highly specialised exudativorous primates. Our study evaluated the effects of exudatebased enrichment efforts on confiscated wild-born slow lorises at a rescue centre in Java, Indonesia, including methods to provide exudates to animals lacking teeth. We found that these enrichment efforts prolonged foraging and feeding times, but did not reduce abnormal behaviour or promote social behaviour. We found a strong relationship between the amount of time spent on the ground and the time spent performing abnormal behaviour. We discuss the positive implications of prolonging feeding periods, the practicality of each of the enrichment efforts for different types of captive settings, and methods for improving the welfare of captive slow lorises via dietary changes.

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The sale of tarantulas in Cambodia for food or medicine: is it sustainable?

Cited by 20 publications

References 5 publications

Human–Spider Entanglements: Understanding and Managing the Good, the Bad, and the Venomous

Human–Spider Entanglements: Understanding and Managing the Good, the Bad, and the Venomous

Insects as food and feed in the Asia Pacific region: current perspectives and future directions

Trialling exudate-based enrichment efforts to improve the welfare of rescued slow lorises Nycticebus spp.

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