# smuggled snakes



## shiregirl (Mar 9, 2009)

*Published:* sun herald
*Source:*

*I know this has been up before but i found the second last paragraph interesting. A recently created crossbred *

SOMETHING fishy appears to be going on in the world of reptile trading following the arrest of a man at Sydney Airport for allegedly trying to smuggle 44 reptiles out of the country.
The arrest of Evan Alexander Peterson, 24, of Bonnet Bay, has been linked by police to the appearance of an American alligator at a Scouts camp and the theft of animals from a NSW far South Coast native animal farm.
The farm's owner, Brett Allison, said he had been dogged by strange coincidences since a sighting of the 1.5-metre alligator at a Scouts camp near his Merimbula enclosure.
"Everything's ridgy-didge and then all of a sudden an alligator shows up. 
"I was doing weights in my yard and the cops walked up to me and said `Have you lost a crocodile?' " the 31-year-old biologist and native animal collector said.
"I said `No, mate, it's probably a goanna, because I get them walking through all the time."
Then, on the same night, Mr Allison's enclosure - home to snakes, lizards, turtles, sugar gliders and other native animals - was broken into.
Several days later he was robbed again.
During the two robberies Mr Allison lost animals including diamond and scrub pythons - "real bitey bastards" - as well as pig-nosed turtles and sugar gliders.
He reported the incidents to police and forgot about the matter, but was amazed when a week later police issued a press release linking the thefts to the Sydney Airport arrest.
"None of those animals this guy was [arrested at the airport for] are mine," Mr Allison said.
Police said Peterson had been removed from a Bangkok-bound flight at the airport on February 20, after a routine X-ray by a Customs officer allegedly found 44 lizards and snakes in his luggage.
When Peterson's luggage was opened officers allegedly found the reptiles in socks and cloth bags, including 24 shingleback lizards, 16 blue-tongue lizards, three black-headed pythons and an albino Darwin carpet snake.
The carpet snake, one of only about 100 of a recently created crossbreed, could be worth about $20,000 and the entire haul was worth between $160,000 and $200,000, Customs said. 
Peterson faces up to 10 years in prison if he is convicted on charges relating to the export of native species without a permit.


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## JasonL (Mar 9, 2009)

Quote:"The carpet snake, one of only about 100 of a recently created crossbreed,"

mmm ?? LOL


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## lovey (Mar 9, 2009)

shiregirl said:


> *Published:* sun herald
> 
> The carpet snake, one of only about 100 of a recently created crossbreed, could be worth about $20,000 and the entire haul was worth between $160,000 and $200,000, Customs said.


 
HAHAHAHAHA i love it. The hybrid breeders are in the media. There everywhere. :lol:


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## m.punja (Mar 9, 2009)

i didn't catch that last time. Must be a darwin cross jungle or something.


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## herpkeeper (Mar 9, 2009)

when are the authorities going to start doing something serious about these people ? 
maximum fines and jail time might detare some of these parasites that exploit our native faunna for their own financial gain :evil:
throw the book at this mug :evil:


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## solar 17 (Mar 9, 2009)

*fines //////// whatever*

Dearest Herpkeeper...lf l wormed them out would that get rid of the parasites, l could do a backup treatment in 12 days which would break the gestation cycle...now don't hold back be honest now.........solar 17 [Baden]


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## herpkeeper (Mar 9, 2009)

Baden, you've known me for a decade, when have you known me to call a scum a anything other than that ? LOL


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## steph (Mar 9, 2009)

hi solar
know what you mean ????? yes we all could do with someoneout there looking after the good reptile keepers. it seems that there is no justice these days. what about name and shame these bastards any other comments ?????


cheers 

jules


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## Bushfire (Mar 9, 2009)

What I find interesting is exactly how is the theft, appearance of an alligator, and failed smuggled attempt somehow linked given that the the park owner has said the animals that the smuggler got caught with are not his....So far I fail to see any links.


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## gozz (Mar 9, 2009)

Alot of people on this site have bought 
offspring from illegal imported gtps
same with the exported scum smugglers
in other countries. Alot of us want what we cant have
And people pay good foldie for them cheers


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## Fuscus (Mar 9, 2009)

shiregirl said:


> *Published:* sun herald
> The carpet snake, one of only about 100 of a recently created crossbreed, ...


 I suppose it is an improvement over endangered, as they were described last week


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## andyscott (Mar 9, 2009)

One gets caught, another ten or more get through.
The reward is worth the risk to these bottom feeders.

All they get is a slap on the wrist, I agree there needs to be tougher penalities, but to what extent?
Look at the poaching in Sth Africa. Rangers shoot poachers on sight,
it dosnt stop them from taking Rino Horn and Ivory, or hunting Big cats for the fur trade.

There will always be poaching for profit.
Its Sad, humans are greedy.


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## zulu (Mar 10, 2009)

*re smuggled*

All should be exported and imported legally,government is there to regulate and they do nothing except throw spanners so they are just as much to blame,they know that reptiles will come in and out of the country. In other countrys the imports and exports can be overseen at least they are doing something,maybe raise some taxes for the government and see the animals are travelling humanely and are quarrantined etc.


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