The Disappearing Lizard — Athena Rhodes

Travelling around Cambodia, I was often amazed by the lizards I encountered. Running up the trees, scaling walls, or singing out at night, lizards were in the nooks and crannies of this country. I was enchanted by them. I did a little research into these critters once I returned home and was shocked to see that the lizard smuggling industry is alive and well in Cambodia and the rest of SouthEast Asia. And one species that is suffering greatly is the Tokay Gecko.

The Tokay Gecko

The Tokay gecko is a reptile species that is found throughout Asia and the Pacific.

They can grow up to 30cm long.
They are rather flat and long in shape.
Pupils are vertical.
They are soft to touch and are often grey in colour with spots.
They can also change colour in order to blend with their environments.
The males are quite aggressive and territorial.
The male mating call is a loud croak. When threatened their sound is similar to a bark and their normal call is a kind of chirping sound.

The species is poached in some parts of Asia for food, as a medicinal ingredient and for the exotic pet trade. In Ancient Asian Medicine they are used in energy drinks, as an aphrodisiac, or in the treatments for diabetes, cancer and HIV/AIDs. Tokay wine or whiskey is a popular drink in some parts of Asia believed to give strength and energy to the consumer.

The rising demand in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam and other Asian nations for this medicinal ingredient, and the lack of or minor punishment in some countries has seen a surge in illegal reptile poaching throughout Asia. For instance, a study conducted in 2011 by the Global Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network found that around 1.2 million dead tokay geckos were exported from Indonesia annually and in the very same year a shipment on route to Hong Kong was intercepted. This shipment contained 1.2 million dried and dead tokay geckos. A couple was arrested at the time of this study for attempting to smuggle one million dollars worth of Tokay Geckos from Thailand to Malaysia.

In India despite being protected under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 schedule IV, poaching for the Tokay Gecko is still rampant in certain areas of the country. The UN gave one reason for this being, that “ the draw of quick cash is luring unemployed youth to act as couriers”. And the poachers have a whole arsenal up their sleeve in order to trap these geckos. Poachers will spread glue on surfaces in hope of catching these guys, as when they crawl over the surface looking for food, they become stuck. One such case occurred last year when a banker was caught with a gecko glued down onto a piece of wood. His defence was that he was trying to catch rodents not geckos. This defence fell flat with wildlife authorities. Another method that some employ is to find a tree or rock where suspected tokays are hiding and either smoke them out or pour petrol on it. When they attempt to flee, the poacher will capture them.

The problem is twofold in India. One, the high demand from China and other Asian nations for this species. Two, the reward is high. . For example, one man admitted that he earned more than 600,000 rupees in two years smuggling geckos, about six times more than what he would earn as a wood-cutter. Though in Bhutan, they have essentially stamped out this practice through the implementation of heavy fines for any trafficking of nocturnal Asian reptiles.

But, no widespread legislative change or increased attention on this practice will occur until the Tokay Gecko are listed on the IUCN list as vulnerable or/and decreasing in population numbers or/and protected under CITES, the international convention on endangered species. At present, they are listed as least concern with an unknown population trend on the IUCN. The index is an indicator of a species extinction risk and is a globally recognised scale.

The problem is that a lot of species that are seen as common or less concern go under the radar with the poaching and smuggling in the live pet trade or for food. As the more endangered animals, such as the rhino or tiger, have more focus placed on them due to their vulnerability. However, if we treat an animal like an unlimited resource, then eventually said animal is going to suffer. Like taking water from a well without stopping, the well is going to dry up.

Until the demand is gone, this kind of trade will always continue even with international laws and acts put in place. Education is needed on the ground level with the poachers - some groups re-train ex-poachers into rangers and wildlife protection , to effectively change sides. And this is a good strategy to stamp out poaching, without taking away the livelihoods of these people. They still have families to feed and sometimes desperate situations resulted in desperate measures.

And even more importantly a change in mentality is needed about Ancient Asian Medicine and the use of animal parts in them. Despite there being no scientific evidence to support these cures, they remain popular. And it is so hard to shift the mentality that people have inherited from mum, grandma, and great grandfather.

The oriental garden lizard in Cambodia- Athena Rhodes — The oriental garden **lizard in Cambodia- Athena Rhodes**