Rs 20 Lakh Lizards New Target Of Poachers In Northeast
Author:
First published in Sanctuary Asia,
Vol. 33
No. 1,
January 2013
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. Read the full report here.
Source: K. Sarojkumar Sharma, TNN, Imphal.
