New research from the Conservation Forensics Lab in the School of Biological Sciences at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has been investigating the origins of tokay geckos in Hong Kong, both the wild ones and those sold in TCM shops. The findings were just published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. Dr. Pauline Dufour, a then Ph.D. student and now in a postdoctoral position at HKU, led the research advised by Dr. Timothy Bonebrake (HKU), Dr. Caroline Dingle (HKU), and Yik-Hei Sung (Lingnan University).

The project

The project aimed at answering three main questions: (i) Where do TCM tokay geckos sold in Hong Kong originate? (ii) In which conditions were they raised? and (iii) Where do Hong Kong wild tokays originate?

To answer those questions, the research team used a combination of field and lab approaches. They first collected tissue samples from wild tokay geckos across Hong Kong, and from dried individuals sold in TCM shops. Using phylogenetic analysis, they compared their DNA sequences to sequences from all over Asia. They found that TCM tokays nearly all originated from Southeast Asia and not from Hong Kong wild populations. These results were confirmed via stable isotope analysis investigating their food source. However, the results revealed the poor traceability of tokays throughout the supply chain, with individuals sold as pairs originating from two different locations and a single label. This was further complemented by interviews of shopkeepers throughout Hong Kong.