More research is crucial to understanding the implications of the trade in Tokay Geckos on wild populations. Research findings will educate public on the real story. Without research people are cheated, animals are continously harvested, conservation fail, locals remain poor and scientists frustrated. Government must be quick before all of this gekko are eaten.

 Since 2009, demand for Tokay Geckos in South-East Asia was reported to have sky-rocketed following rumours that extracts from the lizard could cure HIV/AIDS, a claim refuted by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Tokay Geckos are widely consumed in traditional medicine in mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Viet Nam. In mainland China and Viet Nam, Tokay Geckos are reportedly bred in captivity, however; the supply does not meet demand and the industry relies predominantly on wild caught individuals. This has led to reported population declines in parts of the species’s range, notably in Thailand and Java, the primary source locations for Tokay Geckos in trade.

According to Customs records, Taiwan has imported an estimated 15 000 000 dried Tokay Geckos since 2004. Over two thirds (71%) of these Tokay Geckos, came legally from Thailand. The remainder were from Java, Indonesia, where national legislation only permits the export of live Tokay Geckos for the pet trade. In 2011 a shipment of 6.75 tonnes (an estimated 1 200 000 individuals) of dried Tokay Geckos, illegally harvested in Java, was intercepted en route to Hong Kong. 

 Following such reports, TRAFFIC examined the Tokay Gecko trade in the region, including a case study in Peninsular Malaysia, the purported centre of demand in the NMC trade, but found that while such trade had been substantial, it has declined massively. In contrast, the trade in Tokay Geckos for traditional medicines was found to be booming according to the new study jointly funded by WWF-Malaysia and Wildlife Reserves Singapore: “The Trade in Tokay Geckos Gekko gecko in South-East Asia: With a case study on Novel Medicinal Claims in Peninsular Malaysia.”