Malagasy smuggler caught - 467 chameleons + eggs seized

[Chris Anderson]

My French is non-existant but based on google translate, it appears a Malagasy national was caught trying to smuggle 557 reptiles and amphibians and an unspecified number of eggs from Madagascar to Bangkok, Thailand recently: http://www.lexpressmada.com/ivato-madagascar/23569-saisie-de-557-animaux-menaces.html

Of the 557 animals, 467 of them were chameleons. The article indicates that these were species that were banned from export (i.e. not F. pardalis, F. oustaleti, F. verrucosus and F. lateralis). The article also indicates that 3 boxes of chameleon eggs were also seized.

One has to wonder what this seizure will do to the availability over the next year or two of "CBB offspring from pre-1995 imported bloodlines" for some of these species...

Chris

 

[Chuck G]

Wonder what they were. By the way,I have a Parson's available for $10,000.

 

[Todnedo]

I wonder if that could be our dear friend Francois??

 

[Chuck G]

I wonder if that could be our dear friend Francois??

Karma's a bitch.

 

[Ryan Jarosek]

I wonder if that could be our dear friend Francois??

But he is so honest and makes sure everyone is happy. Can't be him.

 

[Leroux2008]

Crazy.. Do people really pay that much for parsons 0.0 I know they are rare.... hard to care for... beautiful and amazing but 10k? that'd be insane!

 

[javsto]

not as insane as spending almost $200k on booze in a vegas nightclub like Lebron recently did....
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mikehayes/lebron-james-100000-las-vegas-night-club-receip

 

[fluxlizard]

Crazy.. Do people really pay that much for parsons 0.0 I know they are rare.... hard to care for... beautiful and amazing but 10k? that'd be insane!

No, they don't. Or at least the true captive bred ones do not cost $10,000.

BUT- consider the prices of some morphs of ball pythons (I've seen $75,000 morphs on the market several years ago) and you will see that actually rare lizards tend to be bargain basement priced...

 

[Leroux2008]

wow. I do hope though they wil stop smuggling the poor parsons and just leave them be.

 

[bigcappa]

Wow thats crazy! Chuck: how many of these 10k parson's do you have... p.m. me! lol

 

[eisentrauti]

Thank god we have real breeders here

 

[giaindell]

that is INSANE! i wonder what is going to happen to him now.

 

[Cainschams]

Thank god we have real breeders here

Is that why you guys are so good? Maybe I should start believing

 

[Johnny909]

If you guys re interested to read the story I can translate it this evening after work, its quite a story.

 

[reaperreptiles]

I'm all against smuggling, but sometimes I feel like it would help some species. If these countries would let a select number of individual species be exported we could stop the decrease of a lot of endangered wildlife. For example if 10 fiji iguanas were legally imported into the us we could produce hundreds maybe thousands of these animals a few years. Everyone wants to complain about wildlife going endangered. But no one does anything about it.!

 

[eisentrauti]

Is that why you guys are so good? Maybe I should start believing

The majority of the juveniles here are WC too but here it's just the majority and not 100% like in other countries

 

[Carlton]

I wonder if that could be our dear friend Francois??

That was my first reaction...if it wasn't maybe it will at least lead to him finally!

 

[Carlton]

Everyone wants to complain about wildlife going endangered. But no one does anything about it.!

That's not true. CITES has provisions for trade in threatened and endangered species but first the species has to be recognized and listed as a T&E species by all member nations and the traders have to be part of a formally recognized species recovery program, an institution or zoo to get them.

It takes international cooperation, permits, specific documentation on the animals' origin (to make sure they are in fact legally obtained) before they can be moved. Otherwise you just have people trying to justify owning the animals saying they are a recovery partner when it may not be true.

 

[lisa h]

... all for the mighty dollar, no matter the consequences to living creatures.

 

[robmd1]

If you guys re interested to read the story I can translate it this evening after work, its quite a story.

I for one would love it if youd translate it... id like to read the story..