An attempt to illegally transport an internationally protected animal species was foiled at the Marrakech-Menara airport on Tuesday as part of the efforts of the National Agency for Water and Forests (ANEF) to protect Morocco’s wildlife and combat its illegal trade.
The ANEF said in a press release that the National Police Services and the Agency intercepted a large shipment of reptiles, held by a traveler from Indonesia departing from Morocco.
The confiscated animals included an unfathomable 272 specimens of the Uromastyx nigriventris species, commonly known as the Dabb lizard, listed in Appendix 2 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
This appendix lists species that are not currently threatened with extinction but could become so if the trade of their specimens is not closely monitored. The Dabb lizard is also classified under Category 2 of Law 29-05 concerning the protection of wild flora and fauna species and the control of their trade.
The inventory also revealed 391 specimens of the Trogonophis wiegmanni species, a lizard endemic to North Africa, with Morocco harboring 80% of that species’ total population.
The Provincial Directorate of ANEF in Marrakech estimated in a report the damage to be 5.4 million MAD.
A legal action has been initiated against the individual found in possession of these species via the provisions of Statute 29-05 concerning the protection of wild flora and fauna species and the regulation of their trade.
The seized reptile specimens were transferred to a partnering zoological institution for housing and evaluation of their condition, with the intent to reintroduce them to their natural habitat in accordance with animal welfare standards and the provisions of the aforementioned law.