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Greetings from Lusitania

Will B

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Hi, I'm William from Lisboa, Portugal. I'm an Osteopath, very much interested in all aspects of nature and wildlife.
I have a new found interest in anphibians. My jaccuzi had been colonized by a couple of Hylas (wasn't sure then if Hyla meridionalis or hyla arborea) for some years, but the last time I went there I found over 10 hylas (both meridionalis and arborea), one dead salamander and 3 larval salamanders... too many for the jaccuzi, and probably not the best for them either!!
At 1st I thought of releasing them in a nearby pond (the adjacent properties are all subject to chemical treatments so wasn't a good idea and was probably what they were trying to escape from), but the pond wasn't looking good either so brought them home to investigate where to release them. And found out that its nowadays dangerous to release and spread anphibian creatures due to the danger of spreading deadly fungus, so ended up with a few hyla arborea, hyla meridionalis and 3 larval salamanders (think that salamandra salamandra gallaica) which are now nurtured by me, apparently healthy and happy.
Realizing how endangered some anphibians are, decided to go back to unviversirty to study biology, in order to give my nature observing hobby a scientific boost.

W
 

Azhael

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Welcome William.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but all of those species are protected and collecting them from the wild is illegal. Fines can be pretty high....
I understand that your jaccuzi is definitely not the best place for them, but taking them home wasn´t a good move. If you keep any other amphibians at home, now the wild ones can´t be let go safely, which means you should take them to a recuperation center or any other organization of the sort.
There obviously must be some suitable habitat nearby as those animals came from somewhere. That pond may be a better place than you originally thought.
 

Will B

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Thanks for the welcoming.
As for catching them in the wild it wasn't the case, and the pond I was talking about is after all water for agriculture (maybe containing chemicals), besides being connected to ocean water some hundred meters away, and so I wasn't so confident that it would be the best option at all.
I never intended to have any more pets to take care of (too many already), but I unexpectedly had a problem to solve (placing them elsewhere), and having found out about the danger of spreading diseases.... I got stuck with them. The only alternative that day was to release them the very same day in places that didn't seem apropriate at all.
I do not have any other anphibians at home. I did try asking a public aquarium about taking them in and got no reply, so right now all I can do is take good care of them, and make sure that they don't mingle/mix with wild populations.

W
 

Will B

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Hi Azhael,
After some consideration I think i'm going to adress the nature conservation institute of Portugal, explain the situation to them and ask what they suggest should be the next move. My 2 major concerns are if I can find an appropriate place for them, and also if I could be spreading fungus... I guess they should be able to advise concerning these worries.
I'll try making a litle pond there for future invaders, to see if they forget about the jacuzi.
thanks for looking after our anphibians´... believe me I share that concern... that's why in the end I was relocating them (although perhaps not the smartest move :-D )
Take care
W
 

Azhael

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Hi will, your concerns are very understandable.
I PMed you about contacting an official organization about the animals. I definitely think it´s the best choice.
I´m also very happy to hear that you are thinking about constructing a pond for local wildlife, that´s just wonderful. You´ll get to enjoy the fascinating live of these species in your own garden, legally and for free, plus you will provide adequate habitat for many species which could use our help...i´m green with envy xD

Relocating is a very tricky business. There are many issues to consider, some of which you have already adressed, like patogens or suitability of habitat. Doing it by yourself is risky and is unlikely to result well. The proper thing to do is to let official organizations deal with the relocating, they know what to do.

Let me congratulate you once again for doing your own research and for your genuine care for those animals. You are doing the right thing. You´d be suprised at how many people disregard the laws or the very relevant reasons behind them. I hope to see you around enjoying some CB, legal caudates ;)
 

Will B

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Hi Azhael,
To be quite honest I never wanted to keep captive animals of any sort. I much prefer going for a walk and watching them. For that same reason I let go of all my aquarium fishes, the only exception being a couple of canaries which were confined to a tiny cage, and I took them in only to give them a very big cage (releasing them not being a choice).

One thing is bothering me though! How are so many S.S. Galaica ending up in the US?

W
 

Azhael

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Ah, i see. Well, anyway, if you ever decide to get into the hobby, you know this is the place, hehe.

The S.s.gallaica that are sold in the U.S. are all illegal imports, without exception. There are no permits for legally capturing this species for commercial purposes. The animals are poached and exported out to the states where they become legal simply because the species is not native there and nobody asks inconvenient questions.
There´s also illegal trade of iberian caudates inside europe, mainly in the UK where the laws are less strict. It´s well known that some people come here (and other countries too) to illegally collect herps to take them back to their countries. There have been a few arrests in the last couple of years, but it´s still a problem.
 

Will B

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That I find is very disturbing. Personally I'm not very much into keeping captive animals, much prefer to watch them in the wild, but I find that its best to have native species (if legal and not endangered species) than having non native ones. The consequences are greater (by far) with the non native ones. For that reason we are having african toads and other infestations here in Portugal... and its not just the animals themselves, but also the diseases they carry, and quite often the exotic plants that are used in aquariums, which very very easilly disperse and settle in.

I learned a valuable lesson... thanks for warning me, for being attentive and looking after the wellbeing of our anphibians!
W
 
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