Consumers across the Indian subcontinent keenly buy what they think are “sacred roots” that will ...
[+] bring good fortune—however, the reality is far more sinister and shockingly phallic. E-commerce websites from the Indian subcontinent list a curious item often categorized as a “decorative showpiece.” It is usually described as the root of a sacred plant that promises to bring prosperity and treat countless illnesses.
In reality, however, it may actually be the genitals of a monitor lizard. India is home to four monitor lizard species—the Bengal monitor, Asian water monitor, yellow monitor and desert monitor. They are found all over the country, from evergreen forests to deserts and mangrove swamps.
Monitor lizards across the world are in demand to feed various global wildlife trafficking schemes. A field guide by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) notes that hundreds of thousands of these animals are poached annually from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and parts of Africa. Their skins are used to manufacture luxury leather goods for consumers across the globe.
More frequently, they are smuggled live for the pet trade. There are no native monitor lizards in the Americas. However, the Nile monitor has become an invasive species in Florida, according to a July 2016 report in Journal of Heredity .
Originally from sub-Saharan Africa, this species is threatening local biodiversity like burrowing owls and gop.