The BSF on Wednesday caught 14 lizards of the "Tokay Gecko" species being smuggled across the Indo-Bangladesh border in the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. Officials said that the price of these rare species of lizards in the international market is Rs. 7 crores.
He said that Border Security Force (BSF) jawans spotted a man at Pargumati border post. As they started chasing the man, he left a plastic bag full of lizards and ran away. Officials said the lizards have been handed over to the wildlife department. These lizards live on trees and are found in parts of Asia and the peninsula.
It is illegal to keep or trade these lizards under the Wildlife (Conservation) Act, 1972. "Tokay Gecko" lizards are used in traditional medicine
The demand for the Tokay Gecko has shot up to such an extent that clandestine breeding centres have reportedly been set up in several high-altitude locations in Assam-Bhutan, Assam Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur regions. The lizards which wer were seized on Sunday are allegedly from a similar rearing farm in Arunachal Pradesh.
Tokay Geckos (Gekko gecko) are colorful, foot-long reptiles native to Southern China through southern and Southeast Asia. Although widespread they’re increasingly threatened throughout their range, with millions of animals traded every year for use in traditional Chinese medicines, and to a lesser extent, as pets, which are mainly exported to the European Union and United States
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The species has been used in traditional medicine for hundreds of years and is sold throughout East and Southeast Asia in dried form or preserved in alcohol. Prior to export tokay geckos are typically slaughtered, gutted and stretched on bamboo frames and either dried in large kilns or sun-dried. After that they’re sold in male-female pairs to be boiled to create a tonic or wine, or ground into a powder and sold in pill form.
It’s claimed that these products can treat skin problems, asthma, diabetes, cancer, erectile dysfunction, coughs and even HIV/AIDS. While there is some evidence for the medicinal value of Tokay Gecko derivatives (research has shown some anti-tumor properties), the majority of these claims are not clinically proven.