Bonn. A new study reveals that SE-Asian monitor lizards
representing the worlds’ largest lizards are being harvested (in spite of
existing legislation) and traded for their skins and as pets in imperceptible
volumes – and much of this trade is illegal. Germany plays a major role in the
international trade with live reptiles. On June 8, 2013, the world’s largest
reptile fair will take place in Germany (Hamm, Westphalia).
A team of German and Indonesian scientists recently published
the first comprehensive study on the conservation and threatened status of all
SE-Asian species of monitor lizards. The authors conclude that several of these
fascinating giant lizard species are obviously being exploited at unsustainable
levels, even though national and international regulations and laws are in
place. This critical study was published in the well-known online journal
“Herpetological Conservation and Biology“.