Aliens On Our Doorstep

Invasive species in the UK

Here, in the UK we also have many invasive species that have managed to form populations within our native ecosystems. We have a handful of populations of American bullfrog as well as various other carriers of the Chytrid fungus which could spell ecological disaster for our own native wildlife. Unfortunately, without a tale of grave significance tied to the escaped pets that now call the UK home, much of the damage caused by these species is generally unrealised.

Jim Foster, Conservation Director at the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust (ARC) told Exotics Keeper Magazine, “it’s probably fair to say the issue with non-native species generally isn’t well understood. There are certain exceptions to that, such as the grey squirrels and red squirrels but looking at other taxa, it is less well-understood that non-native species can have a negative impact on native wildlife. However, one thing we’ve noticed is when you do explain what the issues are, people do pick it up and they do really care.”

“Where we have seen an improvement in the media treatment in the last few years is the reporting of disease. For example, chytridiomycosis and ranavirus have been covered by the media and I think people know that ranavirus is a threat that’s facing frogs in Britain.”

Of course, the ecological impact of invasive species varies on a case-by-case basis. Whilst Jim suggests that media coverage of non-natives have increased, this does not mean that public understanding will naturally grow alongside it. For many residents in the UK, identifying between a smooth newt ( newt (Ichythosaura alpestris (Rana temporaria ridibundus

Equally, there are instances where a species that has gone extinct in the UK can be reintroduced. ARC’s recent work with the pool frog ( proving to be extremely successful. After this species went extinct in the UK, identifying whether this was a native species created another difficult task.

Jim continued: species’ is sometimes quite difficult. generally is that if presence has been confirmed since the last ice age, it is counted as native. Some people argue we should go back further to the Pleistocene era but that seems to be quite a marginal view at the moment.” reptiles and amphibians; our concern is mainly over potential impacts of keeping and trade, but with care this can be managed effectively. Animals can escape and of course there’s an argument there to ensure vivarias are secure to prevent escape but also to prevent incursions. If you’re a zoo or an established collection you probably have much more resources to ensure you have secure vivaria. We have regular reports that exotics have escaped and for many of those that are kept indoors, they won’t last very long if they get out. Now, that’s obviously a welfare concern but the potential to establish a population might be limited.”

For ARC, the major concern is to prevent the spread of disease. Whilst reptile and amphibian enthusiasts might be the first ones out of their seat to jump on board with conservation efforts and actively seek out wild herptiles, they are also more likely to be exposed to diseases harboured in captive collections.

Jim continued: “What native species need generally is more habitat, better habitat and the threats to their populations removed, rather than breeding up and releasing more animals. Breeding up and releasing animals is useful in some circumstances. For example, we have a captive breeding project for sand lizards. However, it’s a carefully managed programme, we only do a few releases each year and we work closely with the landowners to make sure the conditions are correct.”

Does the UK’s cooler temperatures protect our reptiles and amphibians?

MSc Gabriel Jorgewich Cohen: “There are two ways of thinking about the spread of Bd. For example, one thought process is that the cooler temperatures in Europe are slowing the spread of Bd. Another is that the higher biodiversity in tropical areas is meaning it’s affected more species but is actually spreading at a similar rate.”

“One thing that pet owners can do, is just spreading the word. Amphibian and reptile owners are very enthusiastic and just explaining how fantastic it is to see common frogs or common toads in their breeding ponds is great. Encouraging people to go out and look at these wonderful wildlife spectacles is a brilliant way to support. If people specifically want to get involved in the conservation of native species, we offer opportunities for people to get directly involved through our projects. People can also help with monitoring efforts, that’s REALLY useful and it’s something easy for people to get involved with. If people want to go a step further, they can help protect areas that might be under threat by writing to planning authorities. Sadly, that’s still a major issue for many of our species which are threatened by development.”

Our role

There is a whole myriad of ways in which animals can arrive in places that are unsuitable for them. Whether it is a deliberate introduction to tackle an existing problem such as the cane toads, or sheer negligence within a commercial trade like the bullfrogs, understanding the value and potential risks involved with moving live animals is crucial to preventing further damage. As exotics keepers, we play a key role in education, inspiration, and conservation in herpetoculture. Whether it’s a first-time reptile owner showing their friends and family a beloved leopard gecko or a lecturer from one of the worlds top zoos, we all have a part to play in the spreading of positive and beneficial information. Ensuring that we keep our animals responsibly and teach others to do the same, is crucial to inspiring another generation of conservationists to help the global efforts to save the worlds ecosystems.

We at Exotics Keeper Magazine have joined ARC Trust for a visit to the precious heathlands of the New Forest to inform pet owners how they can go that one step further in reptile conservation on our doorstep. We encourage all readers to keep an eye out on our social media channels for a very special video coming soon!

Bullfrogs in the UK

Jim Foster, Conservation Director at ARC: ““Since the year 2000, there have been three confirmed breeding populations of North American Bullfrogs in England. All of those have been subject to eradication efforts, which is encouraging that the authorities have acted to try to remove those populations and broadly, with some success. Particularly our concern in Britain is disease transmission and the first time Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), one of the funguses that causes Chytrid was found in Britain was in a population of North American Bullfrogs on the Kent/Sussex border. Now, we can’t prove for sure that the bullfrogs introduced the pathogens there. It could be that the pathogen was already present in the wild but we do know in other parts of the world that they are a harbinger for Bd.”

“It’s import to Europe now has been banned through legislation. Back in the 90s and early 00s it was still traded and 5-6inch long tadpoles could be bought at garden centres and a year or two later these bullfrogs would emerge. They would mostly die but on rare occasions they could establish populations.”