Dying Salamanders

19 Oct 2010 - It has been some time since I wrote about the Shanghai Expo, which is probably a good sign. However, the Expo got in the news again. Thedeats of 15 Chinese giant salamanders at the World Expo are no big deal, officials said. The salamanders were at the Shaanxi province pavillion for three weeks in August. Nine died then, and six died after they were removed to a "quiet indoor" place in Shanghai - they prefer dark, quiet environment and rapid running creeks with water below 25 degrees Celsius. An official from the Hanzhuong Fishing Affairs Supervision Station sniffed at the death of"just a dozen". Chinese giant salamanders, which can grow to a length of up to 1.8 meters, are the largest in the world and have a history of 350 million years. It seems no difference is made in the valuation of salamanders' (and other?) life.