So apparently a new and definitely weird craze has hit Asia specifically the Philippines, Malaysia and Japan. Geckos (a gecko is a type of lizard) specifically the Philippine gecko or tuko (these are green lizards that live on trees) are the craze these days in those parts of Asia. Apparently, a lot of Malaysians and Japanese are interested to buy tuko or Philippine gecko because these animals allegedly provide cures to cancer, asthma, among other diseases.

Reports say that when these geckos or tukos are dried under the sun, powdered and mixed with drinks and/or food, the person who ate or drank that will be cured of cancer, asthma and other diseases.

Read more about this wacky story below!

Because of this latest gecko craze, the buying rate for very small geckos or tukos start at P300.00 or roughly USD $7.00 each. However, bigger geckos fetch thousands or even hundreds of thousands of pesos. Reports even say that a Malaysian has bought a large gecko for as much as 1 million dollars (roughly 44 Million Philippine pesos).

Here’s more infos about geckos or Philippine tuko:

The Tokay Gecko (Gekko gecko) is a nocturnal arboreal gecko, ranging from northeast India and Bangladesh, throughout Southeast Asia, Philippines to Indonesia and western New Guinea. Its native habitat is rainforest trees and cliffs, and it also frequently adapts to rural human habitations, roaming walls and ceilings at night in search of insect prey. Increasing urbanization is reducing its range. In the late 1980′s and early 1990′s it was introduced into Hawaii, Florida, Texas, Belize, and several Caribbean islands, where it can be considered an invasive species. The Tokay Gecko is also the inspiration of the fictional comic character, Gecko Lad. The Tokay Gecko is known as a Tuko or Toko in the Philippines for its characteristic vocalizations where people have mixed feelings about it ranging from terror of the mistaken belief that its feet can tear your skin off to great love and admiration for its entertaining vocalizations. In the Philippines most people respect it and value it because it eats dangerous pests such as scorpions and giant centipedes.

The gecko craze has apparently spread across Mindanao in the Philippines. People in Davao City, General Santos City, Cagayan de Oro City, Bukidnon and other parts even in Visayas and Luzon have been trying to catch a lot of these Philippine geckos in exchange for big money.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS LATEST GECKO CRAZE?

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