# General Topics > General Discussion & News > Press / News Items > Amphibian News Feeds >  Luristan Newt receives full CITES protection - Caudata.org

## Frog News

* Doha, Qatar: Luristan Newt receives full CITES protection*
by John Clare - Caudata.org, London, UK - Sunday, March 21st, 2010

Today the delegates attending the 175-nation Convention on International  Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES) unanimously  passed the Iranian government's proposal to extend the convention's  highest protection to the critically endangered Luristan Newt, _Neurergus  kaiseri_.


Luristan Newt, _Neurergus kaiseri_, breeding adult  at Sedgwick County Zoo, USA

The species is now listed in Appendix I of the convention, which  effectively outlaws all international trade in the species, and may  impact trade within some countries too.

According to some estimates, the species may number as little as 500 in  the wild.  Sedgwick County Zoo in Kansas, USA, has had enormous success  in captive breeding this beautiful newt and is surely a lesson to other  institutions around the world.  With the right expertise and  surprisingly little required resources, the zoo regularly produces more  vigorous young newts than they can keep in-house.

Iran and its supporters cited the illegal collection of these newts for  the international pet trade as the main cause of the newt's critically  endangered status.  Sale of wild caught animals through the Internet has  exacerbated the situation, and the greater ramifications of the new  "online" market for exotic animals has been the subject of much  campaigning and discussion in Doha.

Pet owners and newt hobbyists have tried to assert that much of the  online trade in wild caught Luristan newts has declined and is more and  more subject to replacement with captive bred animals, which in turn has  caused prices to drop from several hundred US dollars two or three  years ago, to as little as USD $70 today. However, the listing of the  newt as CITES Appendix I may effectively ban the sale of captive bred  animals in the USA, because of that country's Lacey Act.  Strict  interpretation of the Lacey Act would mean all Luristan Newts in the USA  could be ruled illegal. The ruling on enforcement has yet to be  published by United States Fish and Wildlife but it seems likely that,  at the very least, trade within the US across state lines must cease.


Luristan Newt juveniles, _Neurergus kaiseri_,  captive bred  at Sedgwick County Zoo, USA

So while the listing obviously helps to reduce wild collection, it also  negates any captive breeding efforts outside of officially sanctioned  institutions like zoos and aquariums.  Zoos must pick and choose the   animals that they maintain, and newts  rarely, if ever, make it into  institutional collections due to their  generally poor visibility as  display animals and their specialist maintenance  requirements.  There  is also very little institutional expertise when it comes to newts and  salamanders - virtually no zoos have  ever bred a species of  tailed-amphibian.

Today's decision by the delegates meeting in Doha is a positive step for  remaining Luristan newts in the wild, but the large shortfall in the  required expertise and  low availability of newt-friendly grants and  funding may hamper any serious captive breeding and  reintroduction  efforts.

CITES Press release: Press  release

_Original Article on Caudata.org_

----------


## StephenLS

I contemplated getting some of these a couple of months ago!  

The supplier has now removed them from their website!

Always  :Frown:  when a population falls so low it needs protecting

----------


## John Clare

Just to remind everyone, Iran referenced Caudata.org in their proposal  to CITES that resulted in the listing of the species.  You can read the  information they referenced here:  Caudata Culture Species Entry - Neurergus kaiseri

From the point of view of those keeping this newt in captivity, there is  a detailed discussion here:  Neurergus kaiseri CITES Appendix I soon? - Caudata.org Newt and Salamander Forum

----------

