Who thought we would ever see the day when a gecko would be seen as income generating ? If the Philippines is one big twitter community today, Tuko, as it is locally called, would be “trending”. At long last, Juan de la Cruz decides not to leave his financial life to fate until he wins the lotto (uh, at least for the time being) . He resolves to get up, go to a forest somewhere and find a tuko to sell for prices ranging from Php5,000 to Php500,000.
People are abuzz about this new business. One can find tuko of all sizes offered for sale on the internet. There is an entire website devoted to buying and selling tuko and providing guidelines for “tuko brokers”, spot cash buyers and international buyers. There is even a qualification for the “Perfect Tuko”:
1. Has red/orange/white spots on its skin
2. Has feet with 5 toes and shaped like a flat flower
3. 400 grams and above
4. 21 inches and above
5. Healthy
6. Complete Body Parts
7. Fed with food natural in their environment (www.tuko.com.ph)
The reason for this recent upsurge of demands for tuko is unclear although some claim the tuko is a cure for HIV/AIDS , asthma, and cancer.
However noble the intentions may be, trading tuko here in the Philippines is illegal. REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9147 or the "Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act" provides for a penalty of imprisonment of one (1) year and one (1) day to two (2) years and/or a fine of Twenty thousand pesos (P20,000.00) to Two hundred thousand pesos (P200,000.00) for trading wildlife locally or internationally. Hmmmm reason enough to think twice before bagging the poor thing.
I hear the sound of the tuko outside our house as I am writing this. I am wondering how big it is, if it has red, orange, or white spots on it’s skin, or if it weighs more than 400 grams. Then I mentally prick the thought bubble with the peso sign in it. The tuko outside is safe in this tiny part of the country.
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