Tag Archives: Reptiles

If you thought it was stressful for a lizard to be stuck in a fridge for a week, you’ll sympathise with the reptiles that are at the centre of a smuggling trial that’s proceeding in California today.

Michael Plank (40) was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport in November 2009 after allegedly being found with 15 live lizards strapped to his chest inside two money belts. Plank was returning from Australia when Customs and Enforcement agents reportedly found two geckos, two monitor lizards and 11 skinks strapped to his body. The lizards reportedly had a value of $8,500. Plank pleaded not guilty at a previous hearing, and no doubt we’ll hear the outcome of the trial in the coming days. According to court documents, Mr Plank told US authorities he collected the lizards in the wild while in Australia. It’s alleged that Mr Plank admitted to US authorities he was the owner of California-based reptile sales business “Big Game Reptiles”, and Mr Plank’s travel records showed that he’d made eight trips to Australia in six years. Mr Plank is charged with fraudulently and knowingly importing lizards into the US.

This seems to be an unusually high profile court case, perhaps because of the bizarre way in which the lizards were smuggled, but it’s well known that there’s a huge and lucrative trade in wild-trapped lizards for the pet industry. I’ve heard that there are so-called “reptile farms” in places like Indonesia. where areas of local scrubland are fenced off before local people are sent in to trap wild creatures. The captured reptiles are then packed off by air to Europe and North America where they can be sold to punters who want to impress their friends with the latest and most exotic pet. Most of this trade is legitimate: the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) only protects endangered reptiles, which includes less than 1200 species. Globally, there are nearly 9000 species of reptiles, which means that there’s a wide choice for those keen on making money by trapping and selling them.

Most new owners aren’t too fussed about the origins of their pets: I’ve seen some strange and exotic reptiles in my vet clinic, and when questioned, the most common response is that people felt sorry for the animals in the shop, and the purchase is justified as a type of rescue mission. Many of these creatures have short lives: often there isn’t much known about their husbandry and nutritional needs, and they commonly fall ill and die during their first year of captivity.

It’s said that recent recessionary times have had some impact on the trade, with less money around to pay over-the-top prices for exotic specimens. Some pet shops (such as the Pets at Home chain) have chosen to count themselves out of the trade, instead selling only easy-to-keep reptiles that are ethically sourced, from captive-bred stocks.  But there will always be potential buyers who want to bask in the reflected glory of their own mini-dinosaur or dragon, and when there’s a buyer, there’s always going to be a seller waiting to make a profit.

If you – or your child – want a weird reptile (and the latest dragon movie is guaranteed to push children along this road), make sure it’s from an captive-bred source. If the person selling you the creature slips it out of a money belt from under his shirt, steer well clear.