Leopard geckos fetch good money for hunters as trade continues to destroy ecosystem

KARACHI: The hunting of leopard geckos continues to generate lucrative business but the uncontrolled trading is slowly making the species extinct.

Although there is no research to show where leopard geckos are found in Sindh but the colourful ones with fat tails are being hunted and traded in the southern areas of the province, such as Thatta, Badin and Tharparkar. Despite being hunted regularly, the wildlife officials are unable to take action against persons involved in the illegal trade that ultimately, according to the wildlife experts, disturb the food chain.



It is still unclear whether the geckos are being exported or being used in the country for medicine purposes as the hunters hold on to their own beliefs. “They [geckos] are being used for very expensive medicines,” claimed Abdul Hakeem from Thatta. “But I don’t care for what purposes it is being purchased. The customer offers a good price and I am concerned with the money.”

Hakeem and his friends are looking for geckos that weigh over 100 grams. To search for the perfect catch, they leave their homes in the plains for the mountainous areas near their village almost twice a week. One of his friends was lucky as he caught a heavy one last month and earned a good price, said Hakeem. “Everyone is not so lucky.” Hakeem felt the hunting is becoming harder as the species have nearly been wiped out from these areas.

The trade is also common in Tando Bago in district Badin and its adjacent areas. As the expensive species are not sold in the market easily, the middlemen tell the local hunters to take photos of the geckos and share their weight so they can get the best price.

The hunters and their clients are tech savvy. “Sometimes, a hunter take a photo on his mobile phone and sends it to the buyer,” explained Muhammad Hanif from Tando Bago.

“Is the hunting illegal?” asked a hunter, Sajid, innocently. “My cousin asked me to get details of the geckos available in the area - I don’t know where it is being used or exported,” he said. Some people came to the area and passed around photos of leopard geckos to the residents. “They wanted some colourful leopard geckos and offered good prices for this species,” he added.

Meanwhile, the wildlife expert denied that the geckos are being used in medicines. “Some people believe the colourful and poisonous geckos are being used for black magic,” said wildlife expert and zoologist Ali Murtaza Dharejo. “It is a wrong concept. It is not a poisonous reptile.” Dharejo blamed the Sindh Wildlife Department for ignoring this issue. “Sindh’s wildlife is being ruined,” he said. “Each animal is very pivotal for the ecosystem and the geckos control insects,” he explained. Dharejo confirmed to The Express Tribune that leopard geckos are being hunted in abundance. “Strict action is needed immediately,” he added.

However, the Sindh Wildlife Protection Ordinance 1972 does not restrict a hunter and a purchaser from indulging in this trade. “There is an ambiguity in the previous law and we are planning to introduce a new law,” said Sindh Wildlife Department’s provincial conservator, Javed Ahmed Maher.

An official of the department, who wished not to be named, said the local officials of the department are also involved in the trade which is why they don’t take action against the hunters. “It is all because of the weakness in the law,” he said. “We all are responsible for disturbing our own ecosystem.”

Published in The Express Tribune, June 5^th, 2014.