Monitor Lizard - Protected Status

Protected Status

All but five species of monitor lizard are classified by CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) under Appendix II, which is loosely defined as species that are not necessarily threatened with extinction, but may become so unless trade in such species is subject to strict regulation in order to avoid utilization incompatible with the survival of the species in the wild. The remaining five species - V. bengalensis, V. flavescens, V. griseus, V. komodoensis, and V. nebulosus - are classified under CITES Appendix I, which means they are species that are threatened with extinction.

In the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and all other parts of South India, catching or killing of monitor lizards is banned under Protected Species Act.