**INFORMATION REQUIRED - Sungazers**

[Scottish Sungazer]

I am scheduled to attend the 2010 European Studbook Conference at Rotterdam Zoo in the Netherlands in November. I am giving a presentation to the other studbook keepers on the Sungazer Studbook and our plans for the future. I really am honoured, if a little nervous, to have been asked to give such a talk to my peers.

At the presentation i am going to launch something i have been wishing to do for some time, namely the S.O.S. Campaign which, yip you guessed it, stands for Save Our Sungazers Campaign. I plan on travelling the length and bredth of the UK to highlight the plight of the Sungazer and to promote better dialogue between keepers, both private and commercial, of this species.

What i am looking for is any information relating to smuggling or any other illegal activity concerning Sungazers. Also any information regarding the muti trade or habitat loss again, specific to the Sungazer. Newspaper articles, pictures or web sites, anything basically that relates to Sungazers or their habitat being under threat.

Another piece of information i would REALLY appreciate is - how many Sungazers are there left in the wild? I need a good reliable source and i need to know the source of this information, ideally a scientific or official study of some sort.

One final thing, i have an article due to be published later this month in the UK Reptile Magazine - Practical Reptile Keeping, on keeping the Sungazer in captivity. Don't think you guys get this magazine in SA. If anyone would like a copy of the article, please send me your email address and i will forward a copy to you.

Best Regards,

Fraser Gilchrist
http://www.cordylusgiganteus.com
Exchange information and observations on the Sungazer
-----------------------------------------------------------
European Studbook Foundation
http://www.studbooks.eu
UK Coordinator & Studbook keeper for the Cordylus giganteus

[Wolf777]

I'm sorry I can't be of any help with regards to your request, but I would love to read the article.
Here is my email address: divanj@telkomsa.net

[Scottish Sungazer]

Email has been sent buddy.

Come on guys, ANY information would be useful.

Fraser Gilchrist
http://www.cordylusgiganteus.com
Exchange information and observations on the Sungazer
-----------------------------------------------------------
European Studbook Foundation
http://www.studbooks.eu
UK Coordinator & Studbook keeper for the Cordylus giganteus

[it_bit_me]

Hold on a bit. I'm sending you some abstracts.

[WFA]

Can you please mail me a copy as well.
Here is my email address rassie@eelectronics.co.za.

[Mongoose]

Last Figure I heard there was an estimate of 2million Sungazers in the wild.

[Bushviper]

Mongoose a scientific reference would be great for that figure as the 1988 Red data book states quite clearly that " existing population estimates are generally overestimated". I doubt that anything has improved since then. Burrows inside protected areas were then estimated to only be in the hundreds. Even taking it that some babies would be in burrows with adult females there would have to be close to 1 million recorded burrows !!!! With the habitat destruction that is still taking place I would seriously doubt those numbers.

[Scottish Sungazer]

Mongoose, a source of this figure would be good.

I would be very pleased if the wild population was 2 million. In reality, i fear the figure may be less, far less.

Any information would be greatfully received.

[Scottish Sungazer]

OK, lets try a different approach.

Can you recommend organisation that may be able to help me in my quest for information.
Any and all information is greatly appreciated.

Fraser Gilchrist
http://www.cordylusgiganteus.com
Exchange information and observations on the Sungazer
-----------------------------------------------------------
European Studbook Foundation
http://www.studbooks.eu
UK Coordinator & Studbook keeper for the Cordylus giganteus

[chuckwalla]

Hello Fraser

My name is Tom from the United States. I have a strong interest in mostly all lizards, mostly care in captivity and breeding. I am a hobbiest and breed mostly Sauromalus. I also breed some east African agama species including Acanthicercus attricollis, Agama mwanzae and Agama agama. Sungazers are beautiful animals. I have never kept cordylus species. There are a few here in the US and there breeding is very infrequent. Most people that have them here are not very successful with breeding even though they seem to be quite easy to keep. I do pay attention to alot of what is offered here for sale in the U.S. In the past couple maybe 3 years I have noticed quite a few sungazers becomming available for sale than in the past. You almost always never saw them available before this. Most say they are captive born or they have all proper documents and are legally imported but I have my doubts. I am thinking they are comming into the US illegally but cannot say for sure. It seems like our US fish and wildlife service tries all they can to keep stuff from illegally coming into the country but once it is here it seems like very little is done. Do you have a way to check to see if any animals were legally exported to the United States for say 2008, 9 and 10. This is just a little synopsis of sungazers in the US.

Kindest
Tom

[Carpetpythons]

All you need to do is have a look at the C.I.T.E.S database of quota animals. South Africa does not allow any export of this species. You might be able to do a search for Cordylus giganteus to see wich countires exported any.

[Bushviper]

In the last 8 years there were three legal shipments of sungazers to the US. That means they had paperwork stating that they were captive bred. They were not captive bred however. Despite what people claim and "prove" captive breeding in South Africa happens very infrequently if at all. There are many that are produced from wild caught females and then offered as captive bred.

Sungazers do have long life expectancies so it is possible they will still be bred. I know there is one recording of sungazers being bred in the US but that was a number of years ago.

[chuckwalla]

Hello Bushmaster

Thank you for the info. Yes these guys are incredible lizards. I know 100% true 2 breedings in the US. One was by Bert Langerwerf back in the late 80's early 90's and the other was by a guy in Chicago(can't remember his name of hand) maybe 10 years ago. I have heard of several others that say they have bred them but they offer no proof. They are extremely difficult to breed in captivity and hopefully someone finds the key to breeding them someday. Until then I will leave them in the wild and let them do what they do naturally.

What exactly is the status in the wild? I have heard they are dwindling to dangerously low numbers and have also heard from people in South Africa that there are millions.

Also what are your laws like there? I am new to this forum and from what I have read it seems like you guys are not allowed to keep native herps without permits??? Just curious. I am really into the agamids myself and would one day like to try to get some Agama atra but it seems like it is only a pipe dream now as South Africa, Namibia and Botswana do not export any native reptiles that I know of.

Thanks again for you time and input. It is very much appreciated!

Kindest
Tom Greb

[chuckwalla]

Sorry Bushviper I mis-spoke your name and said Bushmaster. I am sorry about that.

Tom Greb

[Bushviper]

Tom thats not a problem. Yes the late Bert Langewerf did breed them once and then he lost his only mature male. I tried to get him another but could not. I believe the trick is the very cold winters.

The status in the wild is a matter of conjecture. Most of the prime habit is destroyed for farming. Some of their distribution does fall within conservation areas so they are safe from extinction. There are definitely not millions.

In South Africa we have 9 provinces (like states) and almost all require permits for indigenous reptiles. One does not require permits for most of the reptiles (excluding certain rare species like sungazers) but Agamas would be easy to export from there. To find someone to do that is a whole different ball game. Keep your ears open and they might arrive in the US anyway.