Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was reading through this article in a magazine about the black market trafficing of animals and animal parts. For a live Komodo Dragon, the going price is $30,000 right now and I suspect that would be just for an average size animal in typical stressed health. Its amazing what some people will pay to own an animal that could, with one tiny slip, kill you very easily. But then I guess I could understand in a way too...They're a magnificent animal much like most other monitors and a lot of reptiles as well as mammals. Still, I'd have thought a 30K price tag to be somewhat low.....
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Lucien

1.1 Columbian Redtail Boa (BCI)(Sutekh and Isis)
3.5.3 Leopard geckos (2.0 Blizzards (Caine and Goliath), 0.1 Tangerine Albino (Tequila Sunrise ...Tiki for short), 1.0 Rainwater Albino (Mycah), 0.4 Poss. Het. Albino (Annika, Lace, Rain and Aris) and 2.1 dbl. het blizzard x tang albino (Malice, Malfeas, and Mystic))
0.1 Savannah Monitor (Kiros)
13 rats
2 Dogs (Loki and Storm)
3 cats (Ashe, Sahara and Hercules)
6 Fish (4 Red Danios, 1 Cardinal Fish, and 1 Tiger Barb)
8 Ramshorn snails
"And a Partridge in a Pear Tree!"

It is appendix 1.

You couldn't show it to anyone, you can't own it legally.

What would the point be in buying one for 30k?

As far as I am concerned they have almost no Black Market value.

You could buy them for 5k twenty years ago, but nobody was stupid enough to buy one.

Now a Perentie on the other hand, that would have some value.

Actually, there have been a few people caught with ones obtained and kept illegally. Though most of their value comes from the whole trade in supposedly "medicinal parts" the 30K price tag was for a live one. Not sure what the individual parts would be worth.
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Lucien

1.1 Columbian Redtail Boa (BCI)(Sutekh and Isis)
3.5.3 Leopard geckos (2.0 Blizzards (Caine and Goliath), 0.1 Tangerine Albino (Tequila Sunrise ...Tiki for short), 1.0 Rainwater Albino (Mycah), 0.4 Poss. Het. Albino (Annika, Lace, Rain and Aris) and 2.1 dbl. het blizzard x tang albino (Malice, Malfeas, and Mystic))
0.1 Savannah Monitor (Kiros)
13 rats
2 Dogs (Loki and Storm)
3 cats (Ashe, Sahara and Hercules)
6 Fish (4 Red Danios, 1 Cardinal Fish, and 1 Tiger Barb)
8 Ramshorn snails
"And a Partridge in a Pear Tree!"

First, KD's do not have a value, that is after the novelty of one or two wears off. That is for private keepers. Second, that is the problem, because only an animals value will ensure its exsistance in our world. Without value, man simply pushes animals into exstintion. Please understand, the ESA(endangered species act) is expert at doing that. It takes away their value, so they will quietly slip away.

Yes, I know that the ESA picks a species here and there and makes a lot of noise and gets a lot of attention, but the problem is, while you staring at the few species they are actually making noise over, hundreds and hundreds of species are quietly slipping away. Try going to the Fish and wildlife website and looking up Endangered species and see how many there are. Then ask yourself, whats happening with them.

You do understand that KD's were bred by the hundreds in indo, but because of law, they could do nothing with them. So if you have hundreds of KD's, and cannot get rid of them, what are you going to do? of course, stop breeding them. Just like our zoos did. If they both were allowed to sell them(even for parts) it would take away the need to take wild ones(even for parts).

I understand that I know nothing and I am a knucklehead, but I would have to think if a species is endangered(low numbers) then having them being produced(high numbers) has to be a good thing. It simply would put many colonies around the world, in case for some reason, they are needed to help their natural brothers. Kinda like a food bank, only a species bank. Cheers FR

I agree, you are a knuckle head, as far as what you know. I think your lizards have taught you well.
Now to KDs, if they were cute, furry or had feathers, then you might see them being bred for replacements in the wild.
Look what they have done for the California Condor. Would they have put that much effort into the project if the critter was covered in scales instead of feathers?
Now compare the effort on the condors to the effort to save the gopher tortoise. They aren't trying to breed them, they just tell us we can't build or dig here and there.

Scott
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Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

Hi Scott, The condor is a flagship species to get your attention, as I mentioned. They are not really acomplishing much, Just hatching them out, turning them loose and watching them die, for the most part. Same with the wolfs.

In my opinion, these species disappeared from the wild because the enviornment no longer supported them. As in too many people, not enough land, to many guns. They can turn them loose all they want, they really do not have sole support of the land. As long as man supports them and feeds them and puts back replacements, we will have them. And that is still good.

But while we are watching and reading this, ten thousand(lots) species, go on or not, mostly not. no cheers here, FR

Hey Frank.

You are knucklehead. That's funny!!!!

Condors are continuing to decline because we continue to allow lead shot to be used. As long as we shoot deer with lead shot, and then don't find them so they die where the condors will find them, the condors will get lead poisoning and die.

The condor program actually has some promise if it weren't that stumbling block.

My two cents from your knucklehead brother in all things. Hugh

Hi Hugh, Yea, that was covered in the to many people and too many guns part. The exact events in those areas are many, but it does boil down to the same thing, Failure.

Now, do you think the government will go on supporting condors forever? FR

The bottom line is, we need to breed them and sell them to save them.

The ESA is designed specifically to cause extinctions, not prevent them.

I love bacon.
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1.0 Savannah Monitor - Artimus
1.0 Emerald Swift - Jesus
1.1 Green Iguana - King Arthur, Lady Guenivere
1.0 Basilisk - Adam
2.2 Cats - Psycho(radiation), Moses, Satan, Bandy.
3.3 Dogs - Romeo, Falon, Baby Girl, Scooter, Whiskers, R.I.P. Juliet
1.3 feeder mice I've seen hunchin, let's see if they still got it in em'!