Organizing activities have been launched to conserve the Popa bent-toed gecko (Popa cyrtodactylus), called Mwaypway Tettu in Myanmar, which is known to be found only at Mount Popa, according to the Maha Giri group.
Slightly larger than a house lizard, Mwaypway Tettu has been found in three locations, including Popa village, which is west of the mountain, and in the jungle near the entrance of Popa village.
“As far as we know, it can be found only in Mount Popa in the world. It is one of the species found on Mount Popa. Whether its population is small or large is not yet known. When we learned that it was not poisonous, we told the villagers not to kill it. They used to kill it because they thought it was poisonous. There is no history of hospitalization due to its venom. No one has ever been bitten. Since we have been running an awareness campaign for mountaineers, children at the library and villagers, including Facebook posts, they have stopped killing. They have realized that this Popa species is found only on Mount Popa,” said Ko Tin Ko Min of the Maha Giri group.
Thanks to the group’s campaign, villagers now inform them when a Mwaypway Tettu is found, he said. It is usually found at night among rocks, stones and piles of stones, he added. The group is carrying out campaigns to conserve the Popa gliding gecko, the Popa bent-toed gecko, and the Popa langur, which are only found on Mount Popa, he said.
A study tour to promote the conservation of Popa langur, a species found only in Myanmar with a population of just about 300, was launched on 4 June, which attracted a lot of interest from the people. — MT/ZN
