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Foreign Visitors Are Knocking on Doors
Date：2008-04-07
Walking on the streets or in night markets, you can often see pet shops or pet vendors. The owners can often be seen with chubby newborn animals in their hands. People not only can see common golden retrievers, chocolate poodles, huskies, Persian cats and rabbits, but also lizards, turtles, golden hamsters and parrots.
Thanks to the advance of time and the improvement of transportation, the interaction and material exchange among people everywhere in the world have become more frequent. Other animals do not just live in their place of origin but have the opportunity to expand their own path in the world of men. Similarly, in Taiwan, we have the opportunity to understand other animals not born and raised in Taiwan due to legal imports, illegal smuggling and unnoticed, accidental introduction.
However, while these animals broaden our perspective and bring people happiness, these foreign visitors actually have a larger impact on Taiwan’s environment and society than we can imagine. For example, for the sake of survival, they might prey on animals indigenous to Taiwan for food, infest the animals or even interbreed with them. As the result, the original operation of the ecology, as well as the structure and mode of group living may be changed. This can even cause the extinction of indigenous animals and damage the diversity and balance of nature. A slight movement of one hair can affect the whole system.
The most significant examples are listed as follows:
| Foreign Species | Place of Origin | Effects |
|---|---|---|
| Apple snail(Pomacea canaliculata) | Southeastern Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay |
|
| Red imported fire ant | Parana river region in South America, including Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina |
|
| Bullfrog | North America | Strong adaptability and reproducibility, and aggressive in nature. It has a strong sense of territory and will chase out or even attack other tadpoles and frogs, causing the decline of indigenous Taiwanese frogs |
| Algae sucker ( Plecostomus punctatus) | South America, primarily distributed around the main river and tributaries of the Amazon | Strong fecundity. Excessive numbers of algae suckers feed on algae and other food that fish and shrimp rely on for survival, and they impinge on the habitats of indigenous Taiwanese fish. |
| Common sun skink (Mabuya Multifasciata) | Southern and Southeastern Asia | Strong fecundity, crowding out indigenous lizards such as blue-striped blue-tailed skinks and grass lizards. Also, it shows a predatory nature and has caused indigenous lizards in Taiwan to decline. |
Initially, visits by foreign animals might not necessarily reduce indigenous animals in Taiwan, because their habitat is limited. However, because of negligence or intentional release, these foreign species reproduce rapidly in the natureopen environment, and affect the habitats of indigenous animals and plants in Taiwan. In the short term, people may not see the effects. However, with time, the damage caused by foreign species to Taiwan’s indigenous animals and plants is often irreversible.
What we should do from now on is not to carelessly abandon or release foreign animals into the wild, and not adopt them heedlessly. If a foreign animal is adopted, proper care should be given to these animals so they do not reproduce in the wild. If a known dangerous foreign organism is found in the wild, such as invasive fire ants, the relevant organizations should be informed so necessary measures can be taken.
No matter where the animals are from, more observation and care mean more love for the environment and the ecology system!
