'Package deals' on internet for tockay geckos

GUWAHATI: Online shopping has acquired a whole new dimension thanks to illegal trading in the rare tockay gecko lizard. Now, interested buyers can purchase the Asian lizard, coveted for its reported medicinal properties, in 'bulk' on the internet and also secure 'package deals' for specimen of the protected species.

The demand of this reptile with sticky feet has shot up so much that illegal traders of geckos in the region are now expanding their business through the internet. Some gecko suppliers are even taking bulk orders through social networking sites and offering 'package deals'.

The city police have rescued at least four gecko lizards in recent times. These lizards were handed over to the Assam state zoo here. "We have arrested at least 12 illegal gecko traders from several areas of the city in the last couple of months. They are mostly from Manipur and Nagaland. They bring samples of geckos from their home states to show buyers from outside the state and even the country. Many agents working for markets in New Zealand too come here to pick up their supply of geckos. Most of these agents contact each other via the internet," said a senior police officer here.

At a time when the illegal trade in rhino horns is causing the pachyderm's population in the state to dwindle, wildlife criminals serving the medicine markets of Asia are now targeting the tokay gecko.

The demand for tokay gecko, a nocturnal Asian lizard growing up to 40cm in length and easily identified by its orange-spotted, blue-grey skin and unmistakable vocalization, is very high. The local name of the lizard is 'keko shap'.

Myths about the medicinal value of these creatures abound in South Asian and Southeast Asian countries, resulting in their high demand. However, wildlife experts say there is nothing to the claims. "The reason behind the high demand for this lizard is that many believe its reddish, spotted meat cures HIV/AIDS and even cancer. A gecko in good health, measuring between 12 and 14 inches and weighing around 200-250gm is sold at around Rs 8 to 20 lakh," a senior forest official said.

Wildlife activist Firoz Ahmed said, "We have been trying to tell people these geckos have no medicinal value. Rather, the reptile has tremendous ecological value. Some communities in countries like China, Malaysia, Indonesia and Japan believe that the gecko meat can heal deadly diseases like cancer and HIV."

The police officer added that the hunt for geckos in the hills of Tezpur in Sonitpur district and adjoining areas of Arunachal Pradesh has taken alarming proportions.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Package-deals-on-internet-for-tockay-geckos/articleshow/19640840.cms

Ban on night stay at Bhitarkanika National Park removed

PTI
KENDRAPARA, Odisha: The ban on night stay of tourists at the Bhitarkanika National Park in Odisha, which led to a decline in footfall of Indian and foreign visitors, has been withdrawn.

The fall in number of visitors to the internationally acclaimed wetland in Kendrapara district also adversely affected the economy of villages on its fringes as residents found few employment opportunities to make a living.

"We have lifted the night stay ban on tourists. The restriction had to be imposed following attack by hooligans on forest staff in January," Divisional forest officer, Rajnagar Mangrove Forest, Manoj Kumar Mahapatra, said.

The national park would remain open till May 15 and thereafter close till July 1 because of the nesting season of estuarine crocodiles.

It has now been made mandatory for visitors and tourists to carry proof of identity and it was necessary for securing an entry permit, forest officials said.

The forest department has also sought closure and relocation of IMFL shops at Gupti and Dangmal at the entry points to the national park, but the district administration was yet to respond, they added.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Ban-on-night-stay-at-Bhitarkanika-National-Park-removed/articleshow/19632510.cms

Alligator deaths triggers alert

P Naveen, TNN | Feb 19, 2013
BHOPAL: National Chambal Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh, home to ghariyals (Indian alligator), has been besieged with cases related to the deaths of the reptiles primarily due to parasitic infection of liver, kidneys and gastrointestinal tract. Eleven ghariyals were found dead in the last four months in the sanctuary- five in Bhind region of MP and six in Agra and Etawah districts in Uttar Pradesh (UP).

Autopsy reports on the ghariyals revealed irregularities in their gastrointestinal tract.

About 115 gharyials had died with the same problem in the sanctuary from December 8 to 22, 2007. Not to take any chances the authorities are in touch with experts across the country to take preventive steps to save the reptiles.

District forest officer (DFO), Morena, Vincent Rahim told TOI that there is no reason to panic as there is a difference in age, class and size of the reptiles and their causes of death. "Autopsy indicates different reasons. We are in touch with the best wildlife experts. The best veterinarians and experts have been put on alert," said the DFO adding that situation is not alarming yet.

The officials have also contacted Madras crocodile bank trust and Wildlife SOS (animal rescue organization) for further assistance to tackle the situation. As a fresh initiative, sanctuary officials have invited tender for procuring a mortuary freezer to preserve the tissues and other remains of the animals for detailed investigations.

The state officials are also in constant touch with their UP counterparts. Liver dysfunction, cardiac arrest and respiratory tract infection were the reasons behind deaths of three gharials, he said adding other two carcasses were found in a highly decomposed condition so autopsy was impossible.

Viscera of dead animals were sent for a more precise toxicological and pathological examination at Veterinary College in Jabalpur and High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL) in Bhopal and IVRI ( Indian Veterinary Research Institute) Bareilly, to find out the actual cause of death.

Officials informed that no sign of external injuries were found on the bodies of the ghariyals, which ruled out the possibility of accidental deaths in fish nets. Established in 1978, the sanctuary is spread in a 435 km stretch of Chambal river spread across Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. Total of 905 gharilas were reported in the MP part of the sanctuary in the last census in 2012.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Alligator-deaths-triggers-alert/articleshow/18565567.cms

Rs 20 lakh lizards new target of poachers in northeast

IMPHAL: It's not only big animals like tigers, rhinos and elephants that are being poached.

Lately, poachers in the northeast have been eyeing a much smaller creature — a reptile species called the tokay gecko — which can be smuggled in bulk and fetches good returns in the grey market. The tokay gecko, a nocturnal Asian lizard growing up to 40cm in length and weighing up to 200gm, is in great demand in some Asian countries for its reported medicinal values. A mature gecko can easily fetch up to Rs 20 lakh.

Poachers are raiding the forests of Manipur that have an abundant populace of the lizard species. Exact numbers are not known since no definite census of the species has been carried out, says experts. But in the past six months, over 70 tokay geckos have been rescued by police, forest officials, activists of the People For Animal (PFA) Thoubal unit and Assam Rifles personnel from various parts of the state.

Although wildlife experts and environmentalists say there is no scientific proof to substantiate the purported medicinal properties of this reptile species, the tokay gecko has become hot property. Even locals seem to have realized that selling a bunch of these can make one a millionaire overnight and want to cash in on the demand.

In fact, such is the craze for the lizard that many have begun rearing the rare reptile species at home. According to Lourembam Biswajit, managing trustee of PFA Thoubal, there have been reports of poor farmers in the valley districts being given baby geckos by smugglers for rearing in a clandestine manner. Once the lizards grow up, they are taken back by the smugglers who pay the farmers handsomely for raising them, says Biswajit.

In the face of the increasing poaching, smuggling and illegal rearing of tokay geckos in Manipur, the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau has urged the Union ministry of forest and environment (MoEF) to include the reptile species in the endangered scheduled animals' list under the Protection of Wildlife Act, 1972. Incidentally, the golden gekco, which is reportedly found in some parts of south India, has been incorporated in Schedule I, a list of endangered wildlife animals of the Wildlife Act. "It's high time the tokay gecko gets listed as endangered," says noted wildlife activist Khangembam Shamungou. "This is essential if we are to protect and preserve it better."


Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Rs-20-lakh-lizards-new-target-of-poachers-in-northeast/articleshow/17864202.cms