Endangered Reptiles Hunted in Indonesia

Nov. 21, 2010 - PRLog -- Why raise cattle for $1 per day, when you can hunt unsuspecting, harmless, curious creatures in the rainforest for hundreds of dollars per day?

That's exactly what many Indonesian farmers are doing right now.  The major problem with this is that the animals they're hunting are quickly becoming endangered.  

The natural rainforests that grow on much of the island nation have long been home to a number of rare and unusual species, most notably the largest reptiles in the world, Komodo Dragons.  The dragons have found a way to peacefully coexist with island inhabitants, however, and have provided thousands of dollars of tourism from people coming to witness the large lizards in their native land.  The rainforest geckos, much smaller, and significantly harder to see, are not so lucky.

Industry leaders in ancient medicine are paying large sums of money for the dried and preserved carcasses of these geckos, thought in many Asian countries to be a remedy for cancer and other ailments, and are willing to spend lots of money to get their hands on the small lizards, of all varieties, to sell to people following an ancient tradition.  

What is most interesting about this is that the geckos they are bringing back, and none of their close relatives, could ever have been native to the countries most active in the lizard market.

For more information about geckos of many kinds, please visit the following websites:
http://leopardgecko1.weebly.com/
http://leopardgeckosandotherreptiles.blogspot.com/

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We want the world to know all about caring for leopard geckos. As the world's most popular reptile pet, it's unfortunate that so many animals are killed each year by unknowledgable owners