Large numbers of Andrias continue to be taken from the wild, resulting in them being largely exterminated from most of their range. In addition, new data shows there have been probably at least 7 separate species of Andrias in China. Several have been hybridized in captivity, more than one has been released outside its natural range, and at least one is ONLY known from captive samples. Chinese "farming" of Andrias is a conservation disaster - hybridization, extralimital introductions, laundering of WC specimens, and continued illegal overharvest.