One of those times where you need to love and hate China and all their psychopathic psychology towards others (such as animals).
So as most people know, cane toads are a really big problem in Australia. As a starter its essentially because toads have poison and native fauna in Australia are not equiped to deal with such poisons. Often when toads are eaten the predator dies/gets ill. Its a real problem and exagerated on TV in a very dramatic way.
So a few years back I was contacted by a big TCM manufacturer in China, and a few since then wanting toad products. Shed skins, real skins and the actual toad poison (excrete). After turning them down on moral reasons (i dont sell dead animal products) but having done lots of research and networking a couple years later made contact with a meat producer. Long story short, australia is now exporting cane toads as not only a chinese medicine product (a byproduct) but as a meat source. Nothing to do with me, just find it fascinating having researched it. They are now importing them quite a lot for meat (think frog legs) and using the byproduct, mostly skin, poison and organs, as medicine. What a way to solve a problem. We used to joke about the best way to solve an invasive species problem is to let the Chinese profit from it. There we go.
Still a bit morally questionable but cane toads do need to be removed from Australia. So an interesting topic perhaps is how animals evolve to eat poisonous stuff. Such as crows and snakes in Australia becoming resistant to the toxins in cane toads. Even people deceloping tomato and potato is a similar yet very different story of evolution of animals overcoming poisonous food sources.
Back here in taiwan there are 2 frogs/toads which have invaded others regions. Cane toad and bullfrog. The real “so called” invasive frog species in taiwan are actually tree frogs and other smaller frogs like microhylla.
Bullfrogs are farmed in taiwan in large numbers. Perhaps the industry is comparable to african land snail farming. But taiwan has natural predators whereas the land snails dont really (due to size and shell hardness). Interestingly cane toads have also been introduced into taiwan. Although there have probably been minor control measures, they are largely never known about or seen. Most likely due to Taiwan having 2 native toad species (unlike australia) and thus there are many predators of toads. So these horrific invasive species, are not really an issue here. Its likely not due to hot pot and TCM but the native fauna.
So back to the beggining. I was asked to open up a large farm for cane toads. About 2 hectares of pens/greenhouses. This was all for shed skins to China. The process was worked out, it would alleviate the wild harvest of large toads in the mountains currently being taken (a horrific tragedy). But still not what im into doing though the process and logistics was relatively humane.
So. Perhaps just thinking out loud. But. What of introducing foreign species for profit? Debatable. But in this case i give both China and Australia credit for just getting rid of a problem and filling a need. Though i wonder, when the Chinese craving for harder dicks works through Australias invasive toad problem, what happens next? A troublesome question that has, is and will be a massive problem.
I forgot my point. But lots to discuss as this industry annoys the absolute shit out of me. But in the case of Australia I have to respect the irony. Interesting stuff.