Authorities at the Marrakech-Menara Airport foiled on Tuesday, December 19, an attempt to smuggle reptiles from Morocco, the National Agency for Water and Forests (ANEF) said in a statement sent Friday to Yabiladi. The operation was conducted by the police and the National Agency for Water and Forests. According to the same press release, the head of the Wildlife Control and Surveillance at the national agency for the protection of water and forests identified the species of the reptiles that were going to be smuggled by an Indonesian tourist. Authorities seized 272 Uromastyx lizards, an African and Asian species listed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), an international agreement, signed by 184 parties in 1973, designed to ensure that international trade in animals and plants does not threaten their survival in the wild. The failed smuggling attempt also included 391 checkerboard worm lizards, a species endemic to North Africa. 80% of said species population inhabits Morocco. The agency said in a report that the smuggling attempt resulted in damage estimated at 5.4 million dirhams. The seized reptiles were transferred to a zoological facility for accommodation and assessment of their condition to reintroduce them into their natural habitat in accordance with animal welfare standards and provisions.
