<<If the Lygo. kimhowelli is endangered, they couldn't sell this gecko in pet stores could they?>>
That is dependent upon whether the species is listed and protected by the government of Tanzania, and apparently they are not protected or they would not be exported as L. kimhowelli. The field guide does not explicitly state particulars regarding the protection legislation in place in Tanzania. The book only lists the "Conservation status: At least endangered, possibly critically endangered, known only from two localities near Tanga". This species is not covered in CITES, and therefore if the species is in the US, nobody here could get in trouble for possessing them. Also, the country and laws of Tanzania have no jurisdiction in the USA. A lot of species are deemed rare, endangered, etc., by certain authors, but are not protected by the country they live in, or CITES (international protection). The closest ally of Lygo. kimhowelli, Lygo. williamsi, is probably the most colorful gecko species (males anyway) on the planet. They are only known from one small forest, and very few specimens ever encountered. Yet, they are not covered in CITES. It is safe to assume that the CITES II species, Phelsuma laticauda, is globally more abundant than the non-protected, incredibly more rare Lygo. williamsi. Those interested in the book should check with Zoobooksales, or some other herp book dealer. The book is a bargain, in my opinion. About $55 for a good quality, 540 page, well-illustrated book. For East African reptiles, there is nothing else current to rely on. Jon -----Original Message----- From: Sarah Reed [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Monday, May 27, 2002 3:56 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [Gecko] striped cape gecko Hi GGA Listers, >one footnote regarding the status of Lygo. kimhowelli - the new East African field guide regards this species as endangered, possibly critically endangered, as it is known from only two localities. If the Lygo. kimhowelli is endangered, they couldn't sell this gecko in pet stores could they? They were selling a Lygo kimhowelli that I bought from Petco. If it was endangered couldn't Petco get in trouble for that? Another question, is there a place I can purchase this new East African field guide? Thanks, SarahGet more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com << File: ATT00010.html >> ########################################################################### THE GLOBAL GECKO ASSOCIATION LISTSERV WebSite: www.gekkota.com Archive: [EMAIL PROTECTED]/ The GGA takes no responsibility for the contents of these postings. ###########################################################################
