Some of the 257 lizards seized by police in New South Wales during the investigation.
In a recent breakthrough, Australian law enforcement has successfully dismantled a sophisticated wildlife smuggling operation, uncovering an attempt to export native lizards and reptiles, with an estimated value exceeding 1.2 million Australian dollars ($800,000), to Hong Kong. The operation, which began in September 2023, resulted in the arrest of three men aged 54, 59, and 31, alongside a 41-year-old woman in Sydney.
The investigation revealed that the alleged criminal group had been actively capturing live lizards and native Australian reptiles, purportedly intending to profit from their illicit export to Hong Kong. Shockingly, the seized animals were found to be subjected to appalling conditions, bound in cramped containers before being packaged for shipment. A total of 257 lizards and three snakes were discovered by the police, emphasizing the scale of the illegal wildlife trade.
The lizards were worth an average of 5,000 Australian dollars ($3,350) each.
All four suspects are scheduled to appear in court in January, facing charges related to wildlife trafficking. The confiscated reptiles were promptly handed over to various zoos and wildlife parks, where they underwent thorough examination by veterinarians before being released back into their natural habitats.
In a parallel incident at Colombo Airport in Sri Lanka, authorities intercepted a Chinese traveller attempting to smuggle 200 live scorpions out of the country. While the motive behind the lizard smuggling operation remains undisclosed, the global concern over Hong Kong's role as a nexus for illicit wildlife trade is heightened.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Hong Kong draws attention to the escalating trend of exotic pet trade in the region. Rare species such as turtles, tortoises, snakes, parrots, sugar gliders, hedgehogs, and scorpions are increasingly being traded as pets. This crackdown by Australian authorities underscores the ongoing battle against illegal wildlife trafficking, emphasizing the need for stringent measures and international cooperation to protect endangered species from exploitation in the clandestine world of wildlife smuggling.
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