Exotic Geckos: Smugglers new love in North East

SILIGURI: The illegal trade of a lizard called ' Tokay Gecko', bearing a multi million dollar price tag in the international market, is running unchecked in the North East and adjoining Indo-Bhutan border areas.

According to security agencies, the price tag of over $2 million for each live Tokay weighing over 300 gram makes it vulnerable.

The regions stretching from deep North East to the Indo-Nepal border in northern West Bengal witness seizures and apprehensions of people trading the animal.

But its final destination or purpose is not yet clear. A section of environment activists suspect the animal to be a subject of space or medical research labs now.

"Low weight Tokay Geckos are often injected with mercury to increase its weight although that eventually kills the animal after some days," said a security agency official.

"It has been added into Schedule III of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act as a 'highly endangered animal'. It is yet to be included into the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red list. Thus, it is not protected by strong norms globally ," DFO (wildlife) S Ghatak said.

Distinctive in appearance and known for its loud mating call, Tokay is about 11-20 inches in length weighing 150-400 grams.Almost the entire south Asia is its natural habitat.

"Beside the Tokay Gecko, its close biological relatives are also being smuggled," Ghatak added .

The Tokay Geckos are believed to be used in China as alternative medicine. Dried up body parts of the gecko are reportedly used as an aphrodisiac.

"We have never found its body parts. The animal is always smuggled alive," said forest officials.

Geckos have now become an important subject of study in space research and studies are conducted to replicate the unique adhesive ability of its feet.

This can help in capturing free floating uncontrollable space debris which threaten the expensive spacecraft and satellites.

Additionally , there is ongoing research to use the gecko's adhesive characteristic to develop medical tape to substitute post operative suturing, stapling or even pasting for wound closures.

This can ensure better cosmetic appearance and health of the skin with less perceivable scar.