Education and awareness
Until recently there was minimal agricultural precedent or appreciation for farmed reptiles, and most people strongly preferred wild-caught alternatives. Vietnam has since celebrated the success of the reptile farming industry, and the general public are now well informed about the industry and the end products. Farmed reptile products are available in most wet markets and on the menu of many mainstream restaurants. A remaining challenge is that there has been no attempt to regulate or inform customers of what farmers feed to their reptiles. Wild-sourced animals (e.g., rodents captured in rice fields), commerical feeds (e.g., fish pellets), and waste protein from agri-food chains (e.g., still born pigs and male chicks from hatcheries) are the most common feed types. The risks associated with these feed inputs need further research and evaluation. The risk of wild laundering of reptiles also remians, but the scale and likelihood have been significantly reduced through more lucrative production models (e.g., selective line breeding to improve production genetics) and improved law enforcement.
Classifications
Category
Scale of implementation
Phase of solution
Enabling factors
Institutional support, workshops, social media, and government media outlets (e.g., national television). Cheap smartphones and access to the internet.
Lessons learned
Communication has been limited to direct social, economic, and nutritional benefits. The public remains largely unaware of the less tangible benefits of reptile farming such as those related to emerging global challenges (e.g., zoonotic disease, climate change, and environmental sustainability). Science-based content via social media platforms can be a powerful education tool for complex, cross-cutting themes. Ongoing research and development of health and veterinary aspects of reptile farming are required to aligne with international livestock standards.
Part of the panorama one health solution
