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Illegally kept wildlife a risk to Australia's reptile population.

A man from Churchill and a woman from Yinnar in Gippsland were found guilty in Moe Magistrates Court today of illegally "keeping wildlife at an address other than that specified on their wildlife licence" and other related offences

By Department of Sustainability and Environment - 18th November 2003 - Back to News

The man was ordered to pay $500 to the RSPCA while the woman was ordered to pay $250 to the RSPCA. Both were ordered to pay court costs and placed on an undertaking to be of good behaviour for 12 months. A third man is facing federal charges under the Biodiversity Conservation and Environment Protection Act early next year for the possession of 86 exotic snakes.

While searching residential premises in Churchill during May this year, Officers from the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE), the Department of Primary Industries (DPI), Australian Customs Service and the Police found four pythons native to Australia and 86 exotic snakes.

The possession of the majority of native wildlife in Victoria requires special Wildlife Licences, which are administered by DSE.

DSE Wildlife Officer Anthony Ball said that there are many conditions which the holder of a wildlife licence must comply with, one of which is keeping wildlife at the premises specified on the licence.

"This particular case was of significant interest as the snakes were kept at an address other than that specified on the licence and housed in the same room as 86 illegally held exotic (or non-native) snakes," Mr Ball said.

With the exception of zoos, most exotic snake collections are possessed illegally. Many exotic snakes have been illegally smuggled into the country and escaped Australia’s strict quarantine procedures. They can carry exotic diseases and transmit these on to our native wildlife.

"The non-native snakes sometimes carry a disease known as Inclusion Body Disease that is fatal to Australia’s native pythons." Mr Ball said.

"Should any of the four natives snakes have contracted the deadly Inclusion Body Disease (IBD) and then passed it on to other native pythons, the results could have been disastrous. IBD has the potential to wipe out entire collections of native pythons, as well as devastate wild populations of pythons."

As a result of the disease risk, the Court ordered the four native snakes in this matter to be forfeited and destroyed.

To protect Australia’s native wildlife, DSE encourages people to report the existence of exotic snakes, or of illegally kept native reptiles to the Customer Service Centre on 136186.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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