1000 Flowers for the Planet - #577 Observe World Lizard Day

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #577 Observe World Lizard Day

This may be a special day you’ve never heard of. Mostly it seems to be observed at the local level with kids having fun days at school learning about lizards, or the local pet shop highlighting them as great pets. Some people adore lizards, and that’s terrific. They like to keep them as pets, which is probably fine as long as they look after them correctly and develop a deep knowledge of the animal/s they keep to ensure a long and healthy life for each reptile.

Let’s take a look at the more serious side to lizards, though. Firstly there is the fact that many species are endangered, yet because lizards are not particularly appealing to the majority of the human species because they’re not cute and furry, their plight tends to be overlooked. Let’s take today as a day for gathering better knowledge about lizards and what they need to ensure their survival well into the future. Secondly, some lizards are considered to be very exotic, hence they find themselves on the ‘exotic pet’ list and the victims of illegal trade. They can be shipped inside all manner of strange objects inside suitcases to be taken illegally from one country to another, where they command amazingly high prices. Often they die during the torturous journey. The reason this is illegal is because it is ‘wrong’ and usually because the species is endangered, so poaching in this manner is a huge threat to their continued existence.

If we take time out to think about lizards and the part they play in the environment, the food chain and the whole ecosystem, this better understanding will lead to better actions, and a better planet.