typhlonectes:

frumpytaco:

I’ve seen a post circulating on this website calling for people to sign a petition to repeal the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s ban on transporting newts and salamanders across state lines.  Despite the (hopefully) low likelihood that such a ban could actually be repealed, nobody has said anything about it.  I’m passionate about salamanders, so let’s go over *why* the ban is in place.  

Some of you may have heard of Batrachochytridium dentrobatidis (Bd, or just chytrid fungus), a fungal pathogen that has wiped out frog populations around the world in the last 20 years, and has been implicated in the extinctions of several species.

Recently, a new species of the same fungus was discovered affecting salamander and newt populations in Europe.  It is thought to have spread there from Asia via firebellied newts and related species through the pet trade.  
The reason the ban on sending salamanders and newts is to prevent this pathogen from spreading into the country (initially) and then throughout populations in the United States, ultimately destroying the world’s biggest hotspots for salamander diversity.  

This isn’t about the government being mean and not wanting people to have cute pets.  This is about preserving biodiversity and preventing catastrophic extinction events.  
Do not sign the petition, please!!

Links:
The USFWS ban
Chytrid fungus
Salamander chytrid
Scientific papers on the subject: link, link, link

THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!
We need to stop this deadly pathogen from entering North America and killing our salamanders. Keeping pets from other countries isn’t more important than protecting wild salamanders at home. Keeping pets isn’t more important…