Lausanne Aquarium saves Italian alpine salamanders from extinction Injuries and arrests at the Glaubeberg Federal Asylum Center (OW)

The Aquatis aquarium in Lausanne has saved an endangered species of mountain salamander. In mid-June, aquarium staff brought 40 specimens of the Calabrian Alpine salamander to Lausanne in a private jet. They have now bred almost a thousand larvae.

The aquarium plans to return between 3,000 and 5,000 of them to their natural habitat in southern Italy in July next year. Michel Ansermet, director of Aquatis, told the Keystone-SDA news agency:

The Calabrian mountain salamander (Ichthyosaura alpestris inexpectata) originated during the last ice age and lives in just a few square kilometers in four small mountain lakes in Calabria. According to Ansermet, the reason for the disappearance of this salamander species is the release of goldfish, carp and guppies (tropical fish) that feed on it.

After a few weeks the first larvae appear

With support from the European Water Association, Aquatis received permission to bring forty specimens of alpine salamanders to Lausanne within weeks of contacting the relevant Italian authorities.

After observing the natural environment and taking water samples on site, Aquatis brought the amphibians from the University of Calabria to Lausanne in a private jet in mid-June: “We were able to build on an existing trip so that the salamanders were not bothered by requires a large and very long transport,” Ansermet explains. By July, several hundred larvae had already hatched after laying their eggs in suitable facilities.

Overwinter in the refrigerator

Today, Aquatis has about 800 larvae, some aquatic and some on land. They are artificially wintered in refrigerators. The aquarium plans to return between 3,000 and 5,000 of them to their natural habitat in July next year.

Meanwhile, Calabria’s Ministry of Environment has decided to divert the water intake of the four small lakes so that they can dry out in winter. According to Aquatis, this will make it possible to eradicate the invasive species. (jam/sda)