A Gecko Story

The Guardians of our Near Ecosystem

The scene was straight out of a Hollywood horror movie.
One night, I walked into the kitchen for a glass of water—and froze. The floor, the countertops, even the dining table… all crawling with cockroaches. Dozens of them. I fainted.

We had recently renovated our house, outfitting it with sleek, modern carpentry and so-called “luxury” fittings. Everything was streamlined—flush with the walls, with no nooks or crannies. Aesthetically perfect. But not practically so.

Oddly enough, the horror in the kitchen brought back warm memories of our old house. It had open bookshelves, wall-mounted cabinets, and plenty of corners and crevices. Most

importantly, it had geckos. Yes, geckos , those little Hemidactylus wall climbers that were once a constant presence. They laid eggs between my books, peeped from behind cabinets, and even mated right on the wall. Always there. Always on the walls.

Now, they were gone.

And in their place? These exotic-looking cockroaches ,probably hitchhikers in the wood used for our new furniture. No matter how many anti-cockroach sprays, gels, and gadgets we used, they kept coming back.

Then came an unexpected twist. We went on vacation. And when we returned ,the horror had subsided. Just a few roaches here and there, nothing like the nightmare before.

Puzzled, I kept wondering what had changed, until one midnight, I switched on the living room light ,and saw it,

A Gecko !!!……. Darting across the floor, hunting and devouring the very critters that had made my kitchen a war zone.

We had probably left a few windows open while we were away, allowing nature’s pest control team to move back in.

Slowly, I began noticing more of them. But something was different. These geckos weren’t on the walls—they were hiding under sofas and raised furniture, adjusting their behavior to the sleek new interiors. With no wall crevices left, the floor was their new domain.

One evening, I spotted a tiny gecko hatchling exploring the wall, then quickly scurrying back to its hiding spot below the sofa—still searching for a safe nook. It made me realize how resilient and adaptive these creatures are.

Since their return, the cockroach population has dropped significantly. Even mosquitoes seem to be fewer. Geckos, like sparrows, are co-inhabitants of our near ecosystem. They’ve evolved to live alongside us, inside our homes, quietly providing important ecosystem services.

Modern renovations and minimalism often leave no room—literally—for these small but significant allies. When we alter our built spaces, we impact their survival. And in turn, we feel the consequences.

Conservation isn’t only about tigers or elephants. It’s also about the little guardians ,like geckos, who protect our immediate environment in quiet, invisible ways.

Let’s not forget them…….