Man arrested for selling endangered monitor lizards

Jhesul Nino Paras covers his face after he was arrested over his illegal wildlife trade. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)

A 24-YEAR OLD man was arrested in a joint raid operation by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for allegedly selling illegal wildlife in Barangay Carreta, Cebu City earlier this morning.

The team raided the house of Jhesul Niño Paras in Sitio Tierra Cura, Barangay Carreta, Cebu City at 10:30 AM on July 14 over his violation of the Republic Act 9147 or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act.  Paras has been monitored for a week on his illegal trade through social networking sites.

According to Rogelio Demelletes, Senior Ecosystems Management Specialist of DENR Wildlife Division, Paras admitted that he used to sell monitor lizards a few years back, but had stopped after deciding to keep them as pets.

Demelletes said Paras had no wildlife farm permit allowing him to sell endangered animals and a wildlife registration permit for him to keep endangered animals as pets.

Demelletes added that illegal wildlife traders mostly ship monitor lizards to the US by putting them inside stuffed toys or computer processing units (CPUs).

Monitor lizards or bayawak cost around $1000 each.

Confiscated inside Paras’ house were a 3-foot long Burmese Albino Python and a juvenile monitor lizard placed inside different improvised cages.

The team acted on a search warrant issued by Judge Generosa Labra of RTC Branch 23 in Cebu City.

Paras is now detained at the NBI detention cell pending the filing of charges while the confiscated animals are now in the custody of the Wildlife Rescue Center in Barangay Kalunasan, Cebu City.