Gulf News goes undercover to investigate illegal animal trading and buys a baby crocodile for the second time in four years. See more at: http://gulfnews.com/gntv
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00:00In 2009, Gulf News reporters went undercover to investigate illegal animal trading and
00:15were able to purchase a baby crocodile at the Sharjah Animal Market.
00:19It's four years on, so Gulf News decided to see if stricter regulations have been put
00:24in place to prevent the illegal trading of animals in the country.
00:29Our reporters returned to the Sharjah Animal Market, and after just a few inquiries, were
00:34able to make contact with a man offering a variety of animals for sale.
00:38At first, they were told that it was not possible to buy a crocodile, and were shown pictures
00:43on a mobile phone of what reptiles and snakes were available.
00:46I've got some snakes, but I was looking for maybe like some lizards or iguanas or like
00:51baby crocodile or something like that, like something like special.
00:54No, no rhino.
00:55You don't have that?
00:56No.
00:57It's prohibited.
00:58Yeah, you can't keep it.
00:59It's 1.2 meter Burmese python.
01:00Okay.
01:01But this one expensive, this albino bull python.
01:02How much?
01:03It's very expensive.
01:04It's 4,500.
01:05Okay.
01:06This one, 1,800 like this.
01:07However, after assuring the trader that they were paying customers, he quickly changed
01:08his tune.
01:09Okay.
01:10So I can get you reptiles.
01:11Okay.
01:12Okay.
01:13Okay.
01:14Okay.
01:15Okay.
01:16Okay.
01:17Okay.
01:18Okay.
01:19Okay.
01:20Okay.
01:21Okay.
01:22Okay.
01:23Okay.
01:24Okay.
01:25Okay.
01:26You can keep the crocodile also if you keep in your home.
01:29Yeah.
01:30Yeah.
01:31I can get you anything.
01:32For baby croc, you said this big, right?
01:33Yeah.
01:34And that's 1,000.
01:35Yeah, 1,000.
01:36How long does that take to get.
01:37I will get you.
01:38Tonight, tomorrow, no problem.
01:40I will come to you and give you.
01:42It's not a problem.
01:43Our reporters left the animal market with a contact number and arranged for delivery
01:47of a baby crocodile at an agreed upon location a few nights later.
01:52Male or female?
01:54Nah, it's not male, it's a baby.
01:58Oh, so it's a male or female, we don't know.
02:00But you have to feed them live fish.
02:03Live fish?
02:03Yeah, goldfish.
02:04Goldfish? Okay, so I can get goldfish from the pet store?
02:07Yeah, yeah, sure.
02:08Anything like that is fine.
02:10But the box is very small for him.
02:12Yeah, yeah, I'll get a big one.
02:13If it bites also, no problem.
02:16It's a big bite.
02:17It's a small, you know, like this.
02:19Yes, like pinch?
02:19Yeah.
02:20Okay, okay.
02:21After purchasing the crocodile,
02:22they inquired about other hard-to-get animals,
02:25including big cats and apes.
02:27It's Zuba, you can use any animal as a pet.
02:29Yeah, yeah, yeah.
02:30Like cheetah, lion, everything we have.
02:32Okay.
02:32But the problem, you have to keep and maintain very secretly.
02:35Do you do anything like orangutan or anything like that?
02:40Yeah.
02:41You know the price, it's 175,000.
02:43I have one cheetah now,
02:45and one baby tiger, white Siberian tiger,
02:46but it's very expensive, 120,000.
02:49120?
02:50Yeah, white color.
02:50Okay, and for the cheetah, how much?
02:52Cheetah 40 only.
02:53Cheetah 40, okay.
02:54Very cute baby.
02:56It seems the only obstacle standing in the way
02:58of anyone wanting to get their hands on an illegal
03:01or endangered animal is the price tag.
03:04The following day, our reporters handed the baby crocodile
03:07over to the Dubai Zoo,
03:09where a wildlife specialist examined the reptile
03:11and shared his views on the dangers of illegal animal trading.
03:15This is a baby Nile crocodile.
03:18As the name says, it comes from the Nile River in Africa,
03:22but actually its range extends
03:25from Egypt in the north up to South Africa.
03:29This is a baby.
03:30It could be anywhere between one month and three months old.
03:34This is happening in the parts of UAE,
03:36and many people do bring in legally or illegally
03:40from African subcontinent
03:41or from other breeders in the Western world
03:44because the baby sometimes is being detected by the customs.
03:47Sometimes it might be overlooked.
03:49Even it might be even transported by big boats
03:53that's coming from Somalia,
03:56from part of Sudan to the UAE coast.
04:00Most of the time the customs will nab it,
04:02but a few will always escape the attention of the people,
04:05whatever may be the rules.
04:07This crocodile can grow to a size of five meters.
04:11From the personal safety point of view
04:13and the safety point of the society
04:15and the culture in which we live in,
04:18this does not allow us to keep dangerous wild animals at home.
04:22Also, international rules forbid people
04:24from keeping wild cats at home,
04:27primates, large primates at home,
04:29larger dangerous animals like the venomous snakes at home,
04:33crocodiles, animals like crocodiles,
04:35like Komodo dragon.
04:38Then other varanus or monitor lizard species
04:40which could be harmful to anybody
04:42if it escapes from our attention.
04:44It could happen around the world,
04:46one or two animals in a year escapes from a zoo.
04:49So if it could escape from a zoo,
04:51from a private individual
04:52where maybe only one person taking care of an animal,
04:55it could escape at any time.
04:57So there is always a risk in the society,
04:59risk in the family.
05:00So why to risk when so many other very good pet animals
05:04are available in the market?
05:07The baby crocodile will remain
05:09in the care of specialists at the Dubai Zoo
05:12and will hopefully stay in good health.
05:14But this is just one animal
05:16in an uncontrolled illegal trade industry
05:19that is sending a clear message to buyers.
05:21That is, no matter what the animal,
05:24if you can afford it, you can have it.
05:26Jay Lenton for Gulf News.