BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

hahah how many male and female?
some of them are CB some are WC

How on earth did you get wild caught in Japan?

Absolutely gorgeous skinks! I can't even focus on genders yet, after I get done drooling over them I will try to make a guess. Unfortunately Lea, many animals are illegally smuggled out of Australia every year. In some parts of the world it is very easy to find and purchase WC Australian reptiles.

lol,wild caughts,most people whom are busted smuggling them are trying to get them to hong kong or japan,well bigger busts that are shown in paper

im sure its alot more common then most realise,just have to look at new aussie species turning up over seas, years before they are even captive here,or like rottnest island shingles,which to my knowledge arent even captive in australia,even in zoos

nice selection of rugosa rugosas,they look in good shape

Gorgeous! I am extremely jealous. They look fantastic.

Richard.C wrote:lol,wild caughts,most people whom are busted smuggling them are trying to get them to hong kong or japan,well bigger busts that are shown in paper

im sure its alot more common then most realise,just have to look at new aussie species turning up over seas, years before they are even captive here,or like rottnest island shingles,which to my knowledge arent even captive in australia,even in zoos

nice selection of rugosa rugosas,they look in good shape

OH YEA. I agree. After seeing how many animals and how many types of animals (and conditions..) are in japanese pet stores....I am not at all surprised.


On a more positive note, these skinks in the original post are beautiful.

stumpies im not sure go to japanese petshops,they sell for alot of money,so are usually sold privatly

Richard.C wrote:stumpies im not sure go to japanese petshops,they sell for alot of money,so are usually sold privatly

Richard, you'd be very suprised as to what exotics can show up in Japanese pet shops, even ones with VERY specific care. I am sure Hanzo can clarify, as he is Japanese, but from what I have heard and seen, the exotic pet trade is quite popular there, with small exotics being found in lots of shops. Even primates and the like. (But I believe it is the same in America in some places. Once I even saw a NURSE SHARK in a shop down there. I was so angry I could have blown my top!!)

It is not all to do with Australia's wildlife export laws. Countries which are signatories to CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) have obligations. It is a pity that a few treat it seriously whilst others seem to believe tacit lip service is enough.

For the record, Konowi are officially listed as endangered.

Are konowi endangered as a result of collection for the illegal pet trade, habitat loss, or predation / competition from an invading species? Just curious.

Their natural range is restrictive by definition. There are a couple of licences issued in WA for dealers to legally collect certain species from the wild, but so far as I know it does not include Konowi or anything else classified as endangered. Any collected legally have to be fully documented and submitted to the appropriate government department together with GPS data of the site of capture.

Stated as endangered without specifics in this:

http://biocache.ala.org.au/occurrences/ ... nerable%22