Gecko For Sale

A month or so ago, somebody asked me if I know where they can buy geckos or "tuko" as what the locals call them. I thought it was for pets but was shocked to know that they were being sold for some medicinal purposes. I thought it was a joke that they were selling thousands of pesos per kilo until warnings from DENR came out about geckos being used as medical treatment are just folkloric practice.

Apparently, geckos as medicinal treatment for AIDS, asthma and impotence has no medical basis at all. DENR even warned that since geckos are in the endangered list, collecting and trading geckos without permit can be punishable by up to four years in jail and a fine of up to 300,000 pesos ($6,900).