&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Stuffed into socks and shoes: Chinese man charged for trying to smuggle 163 Australian snakes and lizards")
A Chinese man has been charged with trying to smuggle 163 native Australian reptiles to Hong Kong, putting the creatures inside basic items in bags to ensure they are not detected by the X-ray machines at airports. The National Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) held 38 parcels between December and March which contained the live animals. These included shingleback lizards, dragon species, blue-tongued lizards, eastern hooded scaly-foots, and Cunningham’s skinks.
The man, a Chinese national, put the animals in mail parcels and attempted to fly them to Hong Kong and mainland China. He took the native Australian reptiles and stuffed them alive into socks, shoes and boots. He put them in plastic containers and cosmetic bags, and also used children's toys as an evasion mechanism. He did this to evade detection by the X-ray machines.
Reptiles were placed in inhumane conditions
An investigation was launched, and officials said that this was part of an international wildlife trafficking syndicate which sourced the animals through a local breeder. Officials noted that the animals were subjected to extreme cruelty. They were bound and jammed into tight spaces, had no access to food, water, light, or adequate airflow, all of which resulted in high mortality risks during transit.
Lizards found at Adelaide house
In August, investigators raided a residence in Adelaide belonging to an Australian reptile breeder, where they found two dead lizards, a live lizard in poor health, and several electronic devices. Head of Compliance and Enforcement at the National EPA, Dani Yannopoulos, said Australian wildlife is in high demand in the international market and among global criminal networks. Individual specimens can command thousands of dollars on the black market due to strict Australian export regulations.
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Under Australia’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, illegal export or possession of regulated native wildlife invites fines of up to $330,000 per offence and up to 10 years' imprisonment. A foreign national can be deported along with facing potential visa cancellation.
