Tokay Gecko cure for Aids?

The Tokay Gecko (Gekko gecko) is a nocturnal arboreal gecko, ranging from northeast India and Bangladesh, throughout Southeast Asia, Philippines to Indonesia and western New Guinea. Its native habitat is rainforest trees and cliffs, and it also frequently adapts to rural human habitations, roaming walls and ceilings at night in search of insect prey. Increasing urbanization is reducing its range. In the late 1980s and early 1990s it was introduced into Hawaii, Florida, Texas, Belize, and several Caribbean islands, where it can be considered an invasive species.

The Tokay Gecko is known as a Tuko or Toko in the Philippines, and Tokek in Indonesian/Javanese, for its characteristic vocalizations. People have mixed feelings about it ranging from terror of the mistaken belief that its feet can tear your skin off to great love and admiration for its entertaining vocalizations; in the Philippines, most people respect it and value it because it eats dangerous pests such as scorpions and giant centipedes.

The Tokay is also considered the "pitbull" of the Gecko world due to the fact that when they bite, they often won't let go for a few minutes and rarely up to an hour or more, and generally difficult to remove without causing harm to the Gecko. One way of getting a Tokay to release its hold is to submerge the animal in water or settle it down, which will encourage the lizard to let go, without causing it any harm or undue stress. A less stressful method is to simply put a drop of vinegar on the gecko's nose. This is sometimes enough to get them to let go. For this reason, it is considered to be best as an ornamental animal for experienced reptile owners.

In Malaysia the current local market price for a Tokay gecko above 300 grams is at least RM25,000. What price it fetches abroad is anybody's guess.

A kampung folk who has a marketable sized Tokay gecko for sale will not have to wait long for serious buyers to make him an offer.

In light of its high market value, catching and trading in Tokay geckos have become a lucrative side business especially for villagers in the northern West Malaysian states and in East Malaysia.

Residents in northern towns of Peninsular Malaysia such as Pendang in Kedah and Balik Pulau in Penang have seen the gecko business grow into a cottage industry after news reports revealed that overseas buyers are willing to pay up to RM1 million for each reptile.

As the supply is getting scarce in Malaysia, agents have started to head towards Thailand to source for fresh supplies. Just drive into border towns such as Bukit Kayu Hitam in Kedah and you can easily sport wildlife trappers and agents advertising the Tokay gecko for sale.

While numerous gecko species are sold as pets at nominal prices, the highly prized specie in demand for its medicinal value is the Tokay gecko.

Tokay geckos are in high demand by the traditional medicine industry abroad as it is believed that the reptile’s tongue can cure AIDS. Some believe that its meat is also an aphrodisiac while its blood and bile suppresses tumors in cancer patients.

Despite the on going rumours of the medicinal cures of the gecko, Augustine Tuuga, the deputy director of Sabah Wildlife Department, was quoted in one news report saying that there is currently no scientific evidence to verify the claims.

As buyers are only interested in Tokay geckos weighing 300 grams and above, those possessing smaller Tokay geckos would rear the reptiles hoping to sell them once their weight exceeds 300 grams. Although Tokay geckos usually feed on insects such as crickets, cockroaches and grasshoppers, the Tokay geckos in captivity are also fed chicken liver to speed up its growth process.

Tokay Gecko Price - The typical current prices for Tokay geckos are as follows:

300 grams : RM 25000
400 grams : RM 80000
500 grams : RM 200000
600 grams : RM 500000
800 grams : RM 800000
Above 1000 grams approximately RM1 million.