‘Quack-rodhisac’: Lizard oil - only demand is rising

Reptile species under threat from popularity of questionable virility product.

RAWALPINDI:

Cure-alls are a regular offering at stalls and shops run by quacks. In Rawalpindi’s Raja Bazaar, about 40 quacks sitting along the footpath are selling an oil-based concoction famed to be a cure for pains and problems related to the head, ears, back, kidneys, and various muscles.

However, according to a young quack named Ramazan, these are not the main selling points. Whatever pain a buyer may claim to have, if he is buying ‘sanday ka tail’ (lizard oil), he probably want to “increase his manliness”.

The oil is extracted from the body of the Hardwicke’s spiny-tailed lizard — A brown reptile that can grow to over 45 cm in length and is found in the deserts in provinces and states along the Indo-Pak border. A vial containing 2ml of oil extracted from the lizards is available for Rs680, and if Ramazan is to be believed, it will get rid of your headache, before giving you a new one.

The lizards are caught and sold to quacks for just Rs30. The quacks then cut open the lizards and disembowel them. With the internal organs removed, the carcass is then heated to extract the oil. After using a syringe to pour it into small vials, the quacks sell the headache-cum-impotence ‘cure’ to their buyers, which oddly enough, seem to mostly be school and college-going students.

Although it is not listed as endangered, the popularity of this oil has contributed to a steep decline in the population of this animal in some areas, particularly the neighbouring Indian state of Rajasthan.

Dissatisfied customers

The Express Tribune also spoke with some youngsters shopping at the ‘sidewalk pharmacies’.

“An elder in my village told me to buy this ‘famous product’ for my backache,” said first-time shopper Muhammad Altaf, a resident of Muree.

However, Jawad Ali, a youngster from Rawat, was less enthused. He said he had bought the oil three times, “but the problem remained the same as before”. He did not identify the problem.

Shabir, another young boy who goes by single name, said using the oil did not have any positive effect on him. Instead, he developed a painful rash. “I used the oil at the suggestion of a quack. My health quickly deteriorated and I landed in a hospital,” Shabir said. He said it took a week under the care of “real doctors” for him to recover, and warned others to stay away from the oil.

Health and environmental risks

Dr Tahir Afzal, who runs a private clinic in Raja Bazar, told The Express Tribune that the oil is dangerous and can cause death in rare cases.

“Killing a lizard with a razorblade or scissors is not only unhygienic but also very hazardous for human health,” he said, adding that using any such unproven product is tantamount to inflicting self-harm. He said it is a sheer violation of health safety rules and the concerned authorities should immediately ban such practices in the city.

An official at the Wildlife Department, requesting anonymity told The Express Tribune that laws against netting endangered species of birds, reptiles, or animals are already there, but when came to implementation, the authorities were silent. He admitted that his department lacked the resources to capture the culprits, which may lead the lizard to become endangered.

Safeguarding the endangered species is essential for keeping balance in the ecosystem, the official explained.

However, Pakistan Wildlife Foundation Chairman Waseem Ahmad said the lizard has not been included in the list of protected species yet, which is why its hunting is going unchecked. He admitted its population is waning and the animal could vanish if appropriate measures were not taken soon.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 28^th, 2014.