转贴国外学者关于镇海棘螈走私的国际公开信！

To all salamander enthusiasts:

Many salamander lovers are fascinated by salamanders of the genera Tylototriton and Echinotriton. Some species are easy to breed and make interesting pets, others have bright colouration or bizarre body forms, yet others are entirely black and lead a very secretive life. In Western Europe, the US and Japan these salamanders are frequently found in the hobby. We should not forget, however, that most of these animals reach us via the international pet trade and have been collected illegally. Most species that are imported from China are protected by law in that country and their capture and export is against the law. Over the years there have been mass imports of salamanders, especially - but not only - of Tylototriton shanjing. Over-exploitation for medicinal purposes or for the pet trade may pose a serious threat to salamander populations and their survival. This has been emphasized more than once by concerned biologists, but law enforcement in China has thus far been insufficient to stem illegal and uncontrolled collection for export. Unfortunately, the demand for wild-caught salamanders persists, in spite of successful captive breeding projects by some zoos and individuals, and wild-caught animals continue to be imported.

With only three small populations known, the Chinhai salamander, Echinotriton chinhaiensis, probably is one of the rarest salamanders on earth and is considered critically endangered (www.iucnredlist.org). This summer (2012) two specimens of Echinotriton chinhaiensis turned up in a Japanese pet shop. They were identified by a Japanese herpetologist, who noticed that one specimen had two of its toes clipped. He concluded that these animals might well have been caught in the Ruiyansi Park area near the city of Ningbo, where Chinese researchers have been conducting research and have monitored a population for many years. This was confirmed by Chinese researchers. This population was estimated as counting less than 400 adult animals in 1999. Since that time the habitat has suffered from tourism development and storms ravishing the area, resulting in a continuing decline of the population.

The Japanese trader who offered the animals for sale (for US $ 1.400) has now been persuaded not to accept these animals anymore; Japanese researchers have obtained the two animals and will attempt captive breeding and controlled release of the larvae in the future, under the supervision of Chinese scientists. The authorities in the Ningbo area have been informed of this illegal collecting. Hopefully this will lead to measures being taken to prevent further collecting.

I should like to appeal to the salamander hobbyists to refrain from collecting or buying specimens of Echinotriton chinhaiensis if these animals should appear in the trade again, and instead inform scientists. By tracking down the imports and alerting the Chinese researchers and local authorities we may be able to prevent further imports. It would be sad if the species would go extinct. Besides that, it would do the salamander hobby no good if by irresponsible consumer behaviour, terrarium keepers were implicated in its extinction.

Max Sparreboom, Netherlands Centre for Biodiversity Naturalis, Leiden, the Netherlands.

http://science.naturalis.nl/salamanders
m-c-sparreboom(at)hetnet.nl


译文 ——

致所有蝾螈爱好者：

        很多蝾螈爱好者都醉心于疣螈属Tylototriton和棘螈属Echinotriton物种。一些易于饲养的物种成为有趣的宠物，有些具有亮丽的色斑和奇特的外观，但是有些完全为黑色并一直过着非常隐秘的生活。在西方世界的欧洲、美国和日本等地，这些蝾螈频繁的因为个人爱好被发掘出来进行饲养。可是我们不应忘记，经由国际宠物贸易到我们手里的绝大部分动物都是来自于非法采捕。绝大部分自中国输出的物种都是当地的保护动物，完全从非法渠道走私而来。在过去的许多年里，西方世界进口了大量的蝾螈，尤其是红瘰疣螈Tylototriton shanjing，但并不仅限于此。基于药用价值和宠物需求的过度采捕对于蝾螈的种群和生存造成了严重威胁，这是生物学家们反复强调的问题，但中国的执法状况远不足以阻止为走私而进行的非法采捕。不幸的是，尽管一些动物园和个人对这些蝾螈进行了成功繁育，但对野外种群的需求仍在，这些来自野外的个体还不断的在出口着。

       镇海棘螈Echinotriton chinhaiensis仅知3个很小的种群，它是世界上已知最珍稀的被列为极危等级的蝾螈之一（www.iucnredlist.org）。今年夏天（2012）经由日本爬虫学家的鉴定，有两只镇海棘螈在日本的宠物店被发现，他注意到这一类标本趾端平截与琉球棘螈明显不同。他推测这两条棘螈或许是盗猎自宁波市附近的瑞岩寺公园，中国的研究者曾在那里监控研究棘螈种群很多年。上述推论得到了中国学者的证实。镇海棘螈种群在1999年时调查推算不足400只个体，在那之后这一栖息地遭受了旅游发展和暴风雨的严重损害，致使种群数量持续下降。

       日本商人为出售镇海棘螈要价每只1400美金，目前他已经接受劝喻不再进口和销售这一物种。日本爬虫学者们得到了两只个体并且将努力饲育它们，将来会在中国专家的监控下对人工繁殖幼体进行野放。宁波地区的权威人士已经得知这一非法采捕行为，希望这能促进保护措施的调整，以期防止再次出现盗猎。

       我在这里想呼吁蝾螈爱好者们：如果镇海棘螈再次出现在商业交易中，请避免收集或购买它们，而代之以及时通知专业学者。追查进口渠道并通知中国研究人员和产地权威人士或许能有效防止更多的走私行为。如果这一物种灭绝将是非常悲哀的事情！此外，如果因为自己不负责任的消费行为而导致饲育者被牵连于物种的灭绝，这对于我们的蝾螈爱好是没有好处的。

                                                                          荷兰王国 莱顿市 荷兰自然生物多样性中心：马克斯.斯巴瑞博姆

                                                                                     个人主页：http://science.naturalis.nl/salamanders

译者按：马克斯博士是著名的有尾两栖类专家，在国际有尾两栖类学术界和爱好者群体里有很高的威望和影响力，与国内很多专家都有学术交流，目前正致力于编纂一部全新的《旧大陆有尾两栖类图鉴》，他也是我的好朋友，曾热心的为我修订学术论文。接到他的邮件，我心情非常很沉重，虽然这一消息对我不是新闻，但传言中的走私行为得到证实不能不让人感到愤怒和遗憾！早在去年的香港爬展据说就有两对镇海棘螈被展出，今年3月又有海外消息说镇海棘螈已经走私到香港的爬虫商手里，当时我很希望这些只是谣言…然而，现实很残酷的证实了它们被走私到国外的事实。去年，大量的远东爪鲵Onychodactylus fischeri、头盔棱顶蟾Ingerophrynus galeatus和霸王岭睑虎Goniurosaurus bawanglingensis也是经地下黑市从香港走私出境的，今年的这一事件更把国产野生两栖爬行动物的走私推向了一个高潮！

      我们必须深刻的反思：目前的野生动物保护法规是不是有所滞后了？是否应该尽快提高镇海棘螈及其栖息地的保护级别和标准？政府是不是应该在栖息地保护和走私行为缉查方面加大力度，确保执法更迅速有力？国内有林、农和海关等相关部门与香港特区政府渔农处和海关缉私部门在野生动物走私贸易方面是否应该进一步加强合作？在中港两地的野保法律法规应用上是否应该进行全新的沟通与对接？否则，国产野生动物黑市贸易和走私将无法得到遏制和有效打击。

      镇海棘螈的走私虽说在法律层面只是国家二级保护动物的盗猎和非法贸易，与其他国家二级保护动物的非法走私并无本质不同，但是相较于其他的二级保护动物，它的处境是最危急的，已在中国濒危动物红皮书中被红色名录列为极危级物种！在种群数量问题上，它的濒危程度甚至超过了大熊猫、金丝猴等许多旗舰物种，如果仅仅按国家二级保护动物的级别对它进行保护和对盗猎进行处置，它的彻底灭绝将不可避免！此次事件，使我国大陆和香港特别行政区的野生动物保护工作漏洞再次暴露在国际社会面前，此前国际舆论就一直对我国的保护措施落实不利多有诟病，如果再不奋起弥补，我们失去的将不仅仅是面子，而是一个个珍稀的物种和国际大家庭对我们的尊重！

学习了那么多年，我们应该多学习人家好的地方了！！顶！！！

国外专家足以让国内砖家汗颜。

这些不法商贩为了个人利益，简直就是在砸锅卖铁不顾一切。

we should wide awake!

这种贴子发出来,最重要的信息就是告诉我们哪里可以抓,
你不发我还不知道有这么个东西,我家就浙北的,离宁波一小时.
厚唇原吸鳅已经教训过一次了还来.

在xx怎么有用

双刃剑、、、、

这些人为了钱 啥子事情都干得出来{:6_202:}[em112]

强烈BS。。。。。。。。