Unique Thai village profits from hot-season tokay gecko trade exports to China

A unique Thai village is gaining lucrative income from capturing and processing tokay geckoes, generating hundreds of thousands of baht (US$2,860) per month during the hot season. In the northeast province of Nakhon Phanom, villagers from Ban Tal in Nah Wah district are seizing the opportunity to capture the amphibians that thrive in the warm weather.

Ban Tal Thai Village, known as the mysterious village of unique seasonal occupations, has been relying on this profitable tokay gecko trade for over 30 years. Each hot season, from March to July, villagers capture geckoes and sell them to processing groups, Sanook reported. The tokay geckoes are then dried and exported to China, where they are believed to be an ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine. This has provided substantial income for some families, who can earn up to hundreds of thousands of baht per month.

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