N EW S

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 0DULPXWKX5DQG$VRNDQ.%DUHEHOOLHGRU0DGUDV

hedgehog, Paraechinus nudiventris +RUVHOG  LQ
The authors thank S. Walker and S. Molur for their Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. Zoos Print
encouragement to conduct this survey, to P. Jeganathan
for help with locating literature and A. Kalaimani, P.R.
Naveen Kumar, M. Rameshwaran, P. Iyer, K. Sathasivam,
0ROXU 6  Hemiechinus collaris. IUCN Red List of
Threatened Species. Version 2015.2. www.iucnredlist.org.
Viewed on 21 August 2015.
Molur, S., Srinivasulu, C., Srinivasulu, B., Walker, S., Nameer
H.N. Kumara, Babu, K. Krutha for their support during 32DQG5DYLNXPDU/6WDWXVRI1RQYRODQW6PDOO
HOGZRUN &RPPHQWV DQG VXJJHVWLRQV E\ 5 0RRUH Mammals: Conservation Assessment and Management Plan
K. Lochen and R. Thomas improved the paper. Workshop Report. Zoo Outreach Organization, Coimbatore.
1LMPDQ 9 DQG %HUJLQ '  7UDGH LQ KHGJHKRJV
0DPPDOLD (ULQDFHLGDH LQ 0RURFFR ZLWK DQ RYHUYLHZ
REFERENCES of their trade for medicinal purposes throughout Africa and
Eurasia. Journal of Threatened Taxa
Chakraborty, S., Sirinivasalu, C., Sirinivasalu, B., Pradhan, 3DGPDQDEKDQ 3  (WKQR ]RRORJLFDO VWXGLHV RQ WKH
06 DQG 1DPHHU 32  &KHFNOLVW RI LQVHFWLYRUHV tribals of Palakkad and Malappuram districts of Kerala,
0DPPDOLD ,QVHFWLYRUD RI 6RXWK $VLD Zoos Print South India, KFRI Research Report No.292. Kerala Forest
 Research Institute, Peechi.
&KDNUDERUW\ 6 %KDWWDFKDU\\D 7 DQG 0ROXU 6 D 6ULQLYDVXOX&DQG1DJXOX90DPPDOLDQDQGDYLDQ
Paraechinus micropus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened diversity of the Nallamala Hills, Andhra Pradesh. Zoos
Species. Version 2015.2. www.iucnredlist.org. Viewed on Print
21 August 2015.
&KDNUDERUW\ 6 6ULQLYDVXOX & DQG 0ROXU 6 E
Paraechinus nudiventris. The IUCN Red List of Threatened
Species. Version 2015.2. www.iucnredlist.org. Viewed on
21 August 2015.
Brawin Kumar, Zoo Outreach Organization,
Wildlife Information and Liaison Development Society,
Coimbatore, India
0DKDZDU 00 DQG -DUROL '3  7UDGLWLRQDO E-mail: brawinkumarwildlife@gmail.com
zootherapeutic studies in India: a review. Journal of Vincent Nijman, Oxford Wildlife Trade Research Group,
Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 4, article 17. Oxford, UK. E-mail: vnijman@brookes.ac.uk

Bogus captive-breeding of the South African Sungazer Lizard Smaug giganteus

R
eptile species that have restricted on social media groups, trade websites, and reptile fairs,
distributions, high levels of protection and fetching prices of between USD1000 and USD4000,
low reproductive rates are rarities in the pet occasionally as much as USD6000. A single case of
trade, and command premium prices (Auliya, FDSWLYHEUHHGLQJZDVUHSRUWHGE\/DQJHUZHUIEXW
7KHSURWHFWHGVWDWXVRIVXFKVSHFLHV all other literature on Sungazers in captivity lacks reports
encourages dealers to trade captive-bred individuals, but of breeding incidences (e.g., Hild, 1988; Fogel, 2000;
also provides an opportunity for unscrupulous traders to *LOFKULVW  'HVSLWH WKLV YLUWXDOO\ DOO LQWHUQDWLRQDO
launder wild-caught reptiles as captive bred (Lyons trade is in individuals reported as produced in captivity
DQG 1DWXVFK  1LMPDQ  7KLV LV SDUWLFXODUO\ 7DEOH:LWKWKHH[FHSWLRQRI6XQJD]HUVUHSRUWHGO\
concerning when exporting and importing countries do produced elsewhere, all purportedly captive-produced
not verify claims about the captive source, effectively 6XQJD]HUV  LQGLYLGXDOV ZHUH H[SRUWHG IURP 6RXWK
leaving the trade in wild-caught individuals unregulated. $IULFD 81(3:&0&  0RUHRYHU 6RXWK$IULFD
The Sungazer Lizard Smaug (previously Cordylus reported the majority of these individuals as captive-
giganteus is endemic to South Africa, and has a restricted bred, i.e. offspring from parents that had also been born
range, narrow environmental niche and a life history in captivity. Importing countries reported only slightly
characterized by slow reproduction. Sungazers only reach lower quantities, totalling 459 individuals produced in
VH[XDOPDWXULW\DIWHUYH\HDUVDQGIHPDOHVSURGXFHRQH FDSWLYLW\ 7DEOH  7KH RQO\ ZLOGFDXJKW S. giganteus
to three offspring only once every two or three years were 50 individuals exported by Mozambique, which is
9DQ:\N7KHVSHFLHVZDVOLVWHGDV9XOQHUDEOH not a range country for the species. Most lizards were
in a national assessment due to habitat loss and poaching LPSRUWHG E\ -DSDQ  LQGLYLGXDOV *HUPDQ\ 
0RXWRQ  DQG LV FRQVHTXHQWO\ D QDWLRQDOO\ LQGLYLGXDOVDQGWKH86$LQGLYLGXDOV
protected species, with collection of wild individuals While the occasional birth of a Sungazer in captivity
strictly prohibited. Internationally, the species is listed is not in doubt, there is a clear and alarming discrepancy
in Appendix II of CITES (Convention on International in the number of substantiated breeding records of captive
7UDGHLQ(QGDQJHUHG6SHFLHVRI:LOG)DXQDDQG)ORUD Sungazers, and the number being traded annually. As
Although there is no substantiated evidence of captive has been reported for several other species (Lyons and
reproduction, Sungazers are frequently offered for sale 1DWXVFK1LMPDQLWLVKLJKO\OLNHO\WKDWWKH

10 TRAFFIC Bulletin9RO1R

 N EW S

Importer reported Exporter reported

Year W F C Main importer W F C Main exporter

    -DSDQ    6RXWK$IULFD
        6RXWK$IULFD
    -DSDQ    6RXWK$IULFD
    ,QGRQHVLD    6RXWK$IULFD
    *HUPDQ\    6RXWK$IULFD
    -DSDQ    0R]DPELTXH
    86$    6RXWK$IULFD
    *HUPDQ\    6RXWK$IULFD
    *HUPDQ\    6RXWK$IULFD
    86$    6RXWK$IULFD
    86$    6RXWK$IULFD
Total 0 106 353 50 121 412
Table 1. Commercial trade (purpose T) of live Sungazers, excluding re-exports, reported by importing and
exporting countries for 20042014.6RXUFHFRGHV:)DQG&UHSUHVHQWZLOGFDSWLYHERUQDQGFDSWLYHEUHGUHVSHFWLYHO\
FRQVFDWHGLQGLYLGXDOVZHUHH[FOXGHGSource: UNEP-WCMC, 2016.

majority of Sungazers in the pet trade are laundered wild-
caught animals. The authors strongly recommend that
WKH H[SRUW DQG LPSRUW FRXQWULHV LGHQWLHG LQ WKLV SDSHU
demand incontrovertible evidence of captive breeding
before issuing permits, and that prospective buyers
temper their desires against the realities of supporting the
0RXWRQ 3 OH )  Smaug giganteus $ 6PLWK 
Giant Dragon Lizard; Giant Girdled Lizard; Sungazer;
Ouvolk. P.209. In: Bates, M.F., Branch, W.R., Bauer, A.M.,
Burger, M., Marais, J., Alexander, G.J. and De Villiers, M.
Atlas and Red List of the Reptiles of South Africa, Lesotho
and Swaziland. Suricata, 1.
poaching of a threatened species. 1LMPDQ 9  %RJXV FDSWLYH EUHHGLQJ RI 2ULHQWDO 5DW
Snakes. Oryx
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 81(3:&0&  &,7(6 7UDGH 'DWDEDVH KWWSWUDGH
cites.org/. Viewed on 1 February 2016.
The authors are grateful to Graham Alexander of the University 9DQ :\N -+  %LHQQLDO UHSURGXFWLRQ LQ WKH IHPDOH
of the Witwatersrand and Vincent Nijman of Oxford Brookes viviparous lizard, Cordylus giganteus. Amphibia-Reptilia,
University for their helpful comments on this paper. 

REFERENCES
Victor J.T. Loehr (corresponding author),
$XOL\D0+RWWUDGHLQFRROFUHDWXUHVDUHYLHZRIWKH Homopus Research Foundation
live reptile trade in the European Union in the 1990s with a E-mail: loehr@homopus.org
focus on Germany. TRAFFIC Europe, Brussels, Belgium. Shivan Parusnath, University of the Witwatersrand/
)RJHO*2EVHUYDWLRQVRQWKHJLDQW6XQJD]HU/L]DUG National Zoological Gardens of South Africa
Cordylus giganteus, in captivity. Bulletin of the Chicago E-mail: shivan.parusnath@gmail.com
Herpetological Society Fraser Gilchrist, European Studbook Foundation
*LOFKULVW )  6WXGERRN %UHHGLQJ 3URJUDPPH Smaug E-mail: info@saveoursungazers.com
giganteus 6XQJD]HU /L]DUG DQQXDO UHSRUW 9LHZHG
on 2 February 2016. http://studbooks.eu/images/pdf/2015/
annual%20report%202014%20-%20smaug%20gigante-
us%202014.pdf.
+LOG ':  +XVEDQGU\ WHFKQLTXHV IRU WKH RXYRON
Cordylus giganteus 3S ,Q 5RVHQEHUJ 0- (G
Proceedings. 11th International Herpetological Symposium
on Captive Propagation and Husbandry. Thurmont, MD:
Zoological Consortium, Inc.
/DQJHUZHUI %  .HHSLQJ DQG EUHHGLQJ WKH 6XQJD]HU
SHIVAN PARUSNATH

(Cordylus giganteus6PLWKReptiles

/\RQV -$ DQG 1DWXVFK '-  :LOGOLIH ODXQGHULQJ
through breeding farms: illegal harvest, population declines
and a means of regulating the trade of Green Pythons
(Morelia viridisIURP,QGRQHVLDBiological Conservation,


An adult Sungazer Smaug giganteus, Free State Province,

South Africa.

TRAFFIC Bulletin9RO1R