Recently, a National Park Service announcement caused heated discussion, protecting wildlife is the responsibility of American national parks, but this announcement is not because of poaching or smuggling, but because many young people will run to the park to lick toads recently.
This behavior, no matter how you look at it, is a hint of outrageous, some young people take advantage of the dark night wind, actually run to the park to catch wild toads, pick them up and lick them wildly, and then release them, so that the National Park Service has to issue an announcement, advising the majority of tourists to stay merciful.
The staff also kindly attached a photo of the victim with the caption: "The Colorado River toad in the Arizona park is staring at you!" ”
Why did the toad suffer from this? After all, the wild toad is quite worrying, both in terms of appearance and hygiene. It is not delicious, and it does not turn into a prince or princess after licking.
In fact, this behavior is because there is a saying in the United States that licking toads can get drug-like pleasure. Of course, the reason why the legend became popular stemmed from practice, and when someone actually experienced it, licking toads became rapidly popular in the United States.
The matter of licking toads actually became popular in the United States more than two decades ago, and it can be called "long-standing". Even the hit anime "The Simpsons" has appeared in the act of "licking toads".
Wild toads
Why does licking a toad have the feeling of taking drugs? Many toads secrete toxins from the glands when stimulated by the outside world, and visual hallucinations occur when eating trace amounts of toxins. However, not all toads secrete toxins, and not all toxins have hallucinogenic effects.
The reason why the Colorado River Toad is targeted by a large number of young people is that it releases secretions near its eyes and chin, and humans touch it, and contact secretions through the mucous membranes such as eyes and mouth, and it is likely to get the feeling of drug use.
Many drug addicts who want to try new things and cannot afford drugs will go to the park to find toads and lick their toxins by "intimidating" them. Of course, different species of toads also secrete different toxins. However, addicts often lick frogs that do not secrete toxins, which can be said to be very frustrating.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration says poison toads eaten raw or cooked can have hallucinogenic effects. This effect is the same as the toxin found in the famous North American poisonous mushroom Amanita and some nightshades, and ancient Native Americans would use this venom to make hunting arrows or use it in religious ceremonies.
Animals are also addicted to licking toads
With the development of medicine in modern society, people soon discovered that toad tryptamine in the skin of toads, and toad tryptamine will be used to make drugs, but toad tryptamine venom is prohibited in countries such as the United States, Australia, Sweden, Turkey and China.
However, toad tryptamine is prohibited, and toads that can secrete toad tryptamine are not a big catch. In the United States and other places, many addicts will raise toads, and there are even special shops for people to lick.
It can only be said that I hope that every toad can escape the fate of being licked. Whether it is licking a toxic toad or trying other new drugs, it is essentially drug use, although this kind of thing is very rare in China, we also need to be vigilant, stay away from new hallucinogenic drugs, and must not try out of curiosity.