Baby crocodile for sale

Gulf News

Gulf News goes undercover to investigate illegal animal trading and buys a baby crocodile for the second time in four years. See more at: http://gulfnews.com/gntv

Transcript

00:00In 2009, Gulf News reporters went undercover to investigate illegal animal trading and

00:15were able to purchase a baby crocodile at the Sharjah Animal Market.

00:19It's four years on, so Gulf News decided to see if stricter regulations have been put

00:24in place to prevent the illegal trading of animals in the country.

00:29Our reporters returned to the Sharjah Animal Market, and after just a few inquiries, were

00:34able to make contact with a man offering a variety of animals for sale.

00:38At first, they were told that it was not possible to buy a crocodile, and were shown pictures

00:43on a mobile phone of what reptiles and snakes were available.

00:46I've got some snakes, but I was looking for maybe like some lizards or iguanas or like

00:51baby crocodile or something like that, like something like special.

00:54No, no rhino.

00:55You don't have that?

00:56No.

00:57It's prohibited.

00:58Yeah, you can't keep it.

00:59It's 1.2 meter Burmese python.

01:00Okay.

01:01But this one expensive, this albino bull python.

01:02How much?

01:03It's very expensive.

01:04It's 4,500.

01:05Okay.

01:06This one, 1,800 like this.

01:07However, after assuring the trader that they were paying customers, he quickly changed

01:08his tune.

01:09Okay.

01:10So I can get you reptiles.

01:11Okay.

01:12Okay.

01:13Okay.

01:14Okay.

01:15Okay.

01:16Okay.

01:17Okay.

01:18Okay.

01:19Okay.

01:20Okay.

01:21Okay.

01:22Okay.

01:23Okay.

01:24Okay.

01:25Okay.

01:26You can keep the crocodile also if you keep in your home.

01:29Yeah.

01:30Yeah.

01:31I can get you anything.

01:32For baby croc, you said this big, right?

01:33Yeah.

01:34And that's 1,000.

01:35Yeah, 1,000.

01:36How long does that take to get.

01:37I will get you.

01:38Tonight, tomorrow, no problem.

01:40I will come to you and give you.

01:42It's not a problem.

01:43Our reporters left the animal market with a contact number and arranged for delivery

01:47of a baby crocodile at an agreed upon location a few nights later.

01:52Male or female?

01:54Nah, it's not male, it's a baby.

01:58Oh, so it's a male or female, we don't know.

02:00But you have to feed them live fish.

02:03Live fish?

02:03Yeah, goldfish.

02:04Goldfish? Okay, so I can get goldfish from the pet store?

02:07Yeah, yeah, sure.

02:08Anything like that is fine.

02:10But the box is very small for him.

02:12Yeah, yeah, I'll get a big one.

02:13If it bites also, no problem.

02:16It's a big bite.

02:17It's a small, you know, like this.

02:19Yes, like pinch?

02:19Yeah.

02:20Okay, okay.

02:21After purchasing the crocodile,

02:22they inquired about other hard-to-get animals,

02:25including big cats and apes.

02:27It's Zuba, you can use any animal as a pet.

02:29Yeah, yeah, yeah.

02:30Like cheetah, lion, everything we have.

02:32Okay.

02:32But the problem, you have to keep and maintain very secretly.

02:35Do you do anything like orangutan or anything like that?

02:40Yeah.

02:41You know the price, it's 175,000.

02:43I have one cheetah now,

02:45and one baby tiger, white Siberian tiger,

02:46but it's very expensive, 120,000.

02:49120?

02:50Yeah, white color.

02:50Okay, and for the cheetah, how much?

02:52Cheetah 40 only.

02:53Cheetah 40, okay.

02:54Very cute baby.

02:56It seems the only obstacle standing in the way

02:58of anyone wanting to get their hands on an illegal

03:01or endangered animal is the price tag.

03:04The following day, our reporters handed the baby crocodile

03:07over to the Dubai Zoo,

03:09where a wildlife specialist examined the reptile

03:11and shared his views on the dangers of illegal animal trading.

03:15This is a baby Nile crocodile.

03:18As the name says, it comes from the Nile River in Africa,

03:22but actually its range extends

03:25from Egypt in the north up to South Africa.

03:29This is a baby.

03:30It could be anywhere between one month and three months old.

03:34This is happening in the parts of UAE,

03:36and many people do bring in legally or illegally

03:40from African subcontinent

03:41or from other breeders in the Western world

03:44because the baby sometimes is being detected by the customs.

03:47Sometimes it might be overlooked.

03:49Even it might be even transported by big boats

03:53that's coming from Somalia,

03:56from part of Sudan to the UAE coast.

04:00Most of the time the customs will nab it,

04:02but a few will always escape the attention of the people,

04:05whatever may be the rules.

04:07This crocodile can grow to a size of five meters.

04:11From the personal safety point of view

04:13and the safety point of the society

04:15and the culture in which we live in,

04:18this does not allow us to keep dangerous wild animals at home.

04:22Also, international rules forbid people

04:24from keeping wild cats at home,

04:27primates, large primates at home,

04:29larger dangerous animals like the venomous snakes at home,

04:33crocodiles, animals like crocodiles,

04:35like Komodo dragon.

04:38Then other varanus or monitor lizard species

04:40which could be harmful to anybody

04:42if it escapes from our attention.

04:44It could happen around the world,

04:46one or two animals in a year escapes from a zoo.

04:49So if it could escape from a zoo,

04:51from a private individual

04:52where maybe only one person taking care of an animal,

04:55it could escape at any time.

04:57So there is always a risk in the society,

04:59risk in the family.

05:00So why to risk when so many other very good pet animals

05:04are available in the market?

05:07The baby crocodile will remain

05:09in the care of specialists at the Dubai Zoo

05:12and will hopefully stay in good health.

05:14But this is just one animal

05:16in an uncontrolled illegal trade industry

05:19that is sending a clear message to buyers.

05:21That is, no matter what the animal,

05:24if you can afford it, you can have it.

05:26Jay Lenton for Gulf News.

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