BANGKOK — In response to a sharp rise in urban sightings and public nuisance complaints, Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) has approved a policy allowing the commercial breeding of Asian water monitors (Varanus salvator), a species previously protected under wildlife laws.
The decision, announced on July 3 by DNP Director-General Atthapon Charoenchansa, follows the first 2025 meeting of the Wildlife Conservation and Protection Committee, which recognized the increasing number of monitor lizards in populated areas as a major concern.
Although water monitors remain a protected species — making their unauthorized capture, possession, or trade punishable by up to 10 years in prison and fines up to 1 million baht — recent legal amendments permit regulated breeding for commercial purposes.
To qualify, applicants must undergo strict facility inspections, and only DNP-authorized wildlife breeding stations can sell breeding stock. The official price per monitor lizard has been set at 500 baht (about $15.50), the same as for Burmese pythons, and all breeding animals will be implanted with microchips for tracking.
“The public must understand that this is not an open invitation to catch wild monitors,” said Atthapon. “Only licensed breeders with approved infrastructure may participate in this program.”
The initiative will launch at Khao Son Wildlife Breeding Station in Ratchaburi, where 290 water monitors rescued from urban environments are currently housed. Releasing them back into the wild is no longer viable due to risks of recurrence.
Chalem Pummai, Director of the Wildlife Conservation Office, added that commercial uses would mainly involve leather production, opening up income streams for farmers and wildlife entrepreneurs.
Officials insist the breeding initiative will not affect wild populations, thanks to tight regulations, mandatory offspring reporting, and a digital tracking system.
The policy will take effect after publication in the Royal Gazette. Until then, wild monitor lizards remain protected and off-limits to unlicensed handling.
