Invasive Species update

touché, China

A few days ago a weekly newsletter appeared in my inbox from Sixth Tone - a wonderful publication by “a team of writers, editors, and researchers from within China and abroad” who cover trends and events in China that, in my opinion, sometimes push the boundaries of sensitivity for government censors. Whatever they are doing, it’s good writing on fascinating facets of Chinese society that you won’t see in most other media. I’ve spread the word about them on social media before.

So, I find it wildly ironic and synchronistic that their new lead article is on invasive species - in China - and features, you guessed it, alligator gars, and that it appears now, just two months after my Invasive Species post about alligator gars and Chinese casinos in Cambodia. In fact, the alligator gar plays a starring role in their beautifully illustrated banner for the article, written by environmental reporter Li Pasha .

It seems China was terrified of the creatures when they were first spotted in 2022, a full year or two after my attack in Sihanoukville. I wonder if anyone there had gotten word of my bloody encounter.

“In 2022, a large and vicious-looking species called the alligator gar terrified locals and authorities in at least three provinces following a spate of sightings. Native to North America, alligator gars, which have razor-sharp teeth and can grow to over two meters in length, are sold online as pets for as little as 20 yuan ($3).

Entire lakes were drained to capture the gars amid a media frenzy. The incident brought much-needed attention to the problems that invasive species pose.”

Anyway, if you are interested in the natural environment and invasive species, it’s a good read. And if you are interested in modern Chinese society at all, I recommend getting the Sixth Tone weekly newsletter in your inbox.