The Tokey Gecko

Gecko Business

          The recent rise in demand of Tokay Gecko has encouraged the harvesting of these lizards by poachers. What is so special about these Geckos that many people would pay millions of ringgit each? People would go for days in the rainforest looking to catch these elusive Tokay Gecko.

          In south-east Asia, gecko is the most recognizable species of lizard. They are able to adapt well to urban areas and secondary forests due to their hardiness, small-size and characteristics. Hence, geckos are a ubiquitous sight in the tropics of Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Borneo and Indonesia, often found equally at home deep in the rainforest or on the balcony of a high-rise apartment. Most of Malaysia's gecko species possess special toe pads that enable them to cling to vertical and even horizontal surfaces. The Tokay gecko (Gekko gecko ) is one of the largest gecko species in the world. The name 'Tokay' comes from an onomatopoetic description of its loud call. It is easily identify by its blue colored skin with bright red spot. It is one of the largest species of gecko in the world. It could grow up to two foot in length and weight up to one and a half kilograms.

          In the late 1980’s the rising demand for exotic pet trade made the gecko a targeted species to be commercialize especially for the Tokay gecko species because they have beautiful bright colour and loud call. Back then, these geckoes are abundant and easily found even in the village hut. There are exploited in huge numbers until the wildlife organization started restricting and limiting the number of geckoes that can be caught in the wild for the pet trade. Other gecko species are also sold as pets and all of them are from the wild. Even now, geckoes are still popular exotic pets among teenagers and fanatic hobbyist. But most of the geckoes sold nowadays are captive breed specimens and are legally sold. 

          Only recently, some scientist believe that the liquid secreted by a mature tokay gecko could have medicinal properties and it is believe to be a possible cure for many chronic illness including acquired human immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Although this is still not proven, scientist are undergoing research on this topic and require a lot of Tokay gecko specimen for their research. The increasing demand for this species has made the price of the Tokay gecko high.

          Because only geckos’ specimens that reach 350 grams are able to secrete the valuable enzyme, most buyers only want to buy geckoes that have exceeded 350 grams. Smaller specimens are kept until they grow to such size. Most of them usually die before reaching the preferred weight due to stress and neglected by the owner.

          The price on each gecko is according to its weight. It is said that a single specimen can reach up to 3 million ringgit and as low as 20 000 ringgit depending on its weight. Due to the high price, poachers and even teenagers who live near the forest are willing to take the risk of hunting these geckos in the rainforest at night. And recent reports say that Indonesian poacher is trespassing into Malaysia to hunt for these expensive lizards. Indonesian poacher first enter Sabah and Sarawak illegally and later on in Johor and Pahang. These Malaysian state still have dens rainforest and the concentration of tokay gecko are still high.

          The hunt for tokay gecko that is uncontrolled has not gone unnoted by the authority.the deputy director of Perlindungan Hidupan Liar DanTaman Negara (perhilitan) Celes Coriano Razond said that the government and other authority are very much aware of the overexploitation of the tokay gecko. Before this, there is no law against hunting for these geckos because they are abundant and easy to find. The uncontrolled harvesting of these species would lead to the extinction of these geckos. Even now it is becoming rare and harder to find in the wild. The government is taking action by putting the Tokay gecko species in the endangered list and give full protection to these species to prevent it from extinction. It is also listed in the rehabilitation act where a person who is caught owning this species without special permit and license can be prosecuted in court under the wildlife protection act.

          As the price of tokay gecko continue to rise, more and more people would hunt these lizard for wealth and by doing so pushing the tokay gecko species even more closer to extinction. The new law introduces by the government against the hunting and trading of these species may offer a brighter future for the survival of these geckos. But the law will be effective only with the help of citizen and other organization to enforce the lay. This world can satisfy our needs but it cannot satisfy our greed. We must play our part to help preserve and prevent this species from extinction.