台灣競相遏制甘蔗蟾蜍的入侵＠PEREGRINE科學點滴

2021-12-09 18:26:35| 人氣71| 回應0 | 上一篇 | 下一篇

台灣競相遏制甘蔗蟾蜍的入侵

推薦 0 收藏 0 轉貼0 訂閱站台

By Miriam Berger

December 7, 2021 — 10.32am

The infamous cane toad – feared for its toxicity and rapid proliferation – is rattling Taiwanese environmentalists and officials rushing to contain a sudden surge of the invasive amphibian.

因毒性及快速增生，令人擔憂之惡名昭著的甘蔗蟾蜍(也被稱為巨型新熱帶蟾蜍或海蟾蜍，是一種大型的陸生真蟾蜍)，正使得急於遏制，這種入侵之兩棲動物突然激增的台灣環保人士及官員們感到窘迫不安。

The rotund toads are indigenous to South and Central America, but they’ve become a scourge of countries including Australia and the Philippines, as well as US states such as Florida and Hawaii, where for decades they have encroached on local ecosystems.

此種圓胖的蟾蜍，原產於中、南美洲。不過，幾十年來，除了一直侵害諸如美國佛羅里達及夏威夷等州的當地生態體系之外，它們也已經成為，包括澳大利亞及菲律賓等，國家的一種禍害。

Their toxicity poses a particular danger to dogs who unknowingly bite or lick the interlopers, as well as to large predators that typically prey on amphibians.

其毒性對無意中咬或舔此種入侵者的狗，及通常捕食兩棲動物的大型捕食動物，構成特別危險。

The first reports of wild cane toad sightings in Taiwan surfaced a few weeks ago in Chaotun, a township in the centre of the country, Agence France-Presse reported. Environmentalists and volunteers have since been searching the area to find and trap the warty intruders, also called marine toads.

法新社報導，於台灣目擊野生甘蔗蟾蜍的諸多首度報導，幾週前，出現於台灣中部的草屯鎮。之後，環保人士及志願者們，一直搜索在該地區，以找尋及陷捕，也稱為海蟾蜍之長滿疣的入侵者。

So far the number found on the island is relatively low: the government-run Endemic Species Research Institute has caught some 200 cane toads in recent weeks, according to AFP.

根據法新社的報導，到目前為止，島上發現的數量相對較少：政府經營的特有物種研究所，於最近幾週，已經捕獲大約200隻甘蔗蟾蜍。

Still, environmentalists warn that quick action is needed to ward off a full-on outbreak.

儘管如此，環保人士警告說，需要迅速採取行動，來防止全面爆發。

圖1. 入侵的甘蔗蟾蜍 (圖援用自原文)

“A speedy and massive search operation is crucial when cane toads are first discovered,” Lin Chun-Fu, an amphibian scientist at the government-run institute, told AFP. “Their size is very big and they have no natural enemies here in Taiwan.”

一名該政府經營之研究所的兩棲動物科學家，Lin Chun-Fu告訴法新社：「當首度發現甘蔗蟾蜍時，快速且大規模的搜索作業，至關重要。它們體型很大，且在台灣沒有天敵。」

In 1935, Australian cane farmers initially imported 102 marine toads to contain beetles attacking their crop. Decades later, the population is up to as many as an estimated 1.5 billion toads on the continent. (Others estimate a lower population of around 200 million.)

於1935年，起初澳大利亞蔗農進口了102隻海洋蟾蜍，以遏制甲蟲侵襲他們的作物。數十年後，據估於澳洲大陸，該蟾蜍種群數多達15億隻。(其他估計種群數較少，大約2億隻。)

Toads are considered good luck in Chinese and Taiwanese culture, a potential complication for some conservationist efforts. Until 2016, cane toads could be legally imported into Taiwan as personal pets. Since then, conservationists believe local breeders have popped up to meet persisting demand.

於中國及人台灣人(華人)文化中，蟾蜍被認為是好運道。對於一些環保人士的努力來說，這是一個潛在的複雜情況。直到2016年，甘蔗蟾蜍能合法被進口到台灣，作為個人寵物。打從那時起，環保人士認為，當地飼養者已經迅速出現，以滿足持續的需求。

The cane toads being sighted in gardens and backyards could have escaped from or been discarded by local breeders, AFP reported. After news of the outbreak surfaced, farmers told environmentalists working in the area that they had seen the toads even earlier but did not know to report them.

法新社報導，於花園及後院被看到的甘蔗蟾蜍，可能是逃脫或被當地飼養者丟棄的。在爆發的消息出現後，農民告訴該地區工作的環保人士，他們甚至更早已經看到這種蟾蜍。不過，不知道要告知他們。

“Taiwanese farmers generally ignore toads and even look favourably at toads when they find them because they help rid the land of pests and are also a good luck symbol,” Yang Yi-Ju, a toad expert at the National Dong Hwa University, told AFP. “It never occurred to them that this is an invasive species from a foreign land.”

一名國立東華大學的蟾蜍專家，Yang Yi-Ju告訴法新社：「台灣農民通常不理會蟾蜍，甚至在發現蟾蜍時，還看好它們。因為，它們有助於清除土地上的害蟲。因此，也是一種好運道的象徵。他們從未想過，這是來自異鄉的入侵物種。」

Cane toads, in particular males, have been known to latch onto all sorts of objects and other creatures - including, in one memorable instance photographed in Australia, the back of a python - in their frenzy to mate, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported.

加拿大廣播公司報導過，甘蔗蟾蜍，在它們瘋狂交配時，特別是雄蟾蜍，眾所周知會抓牢各種物體及其他生物，包括一個在澳大利亞被拍攝到之令人難忘的例子，是蟒蛇的背部。