Image
Camera IconImage Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Snake discovery: Baldivis man charged after police find huge haul of reptiles

Vanessa SchmittWeekend Kwinana Courier

REPTILES and snakes have been seized during multi-agency investigation and search of a Baldivis house.

The investigation was by the Department of Parks and Wildlife (DPAW) and the Australian Border Force (ABF).

WA Police Organised Crime Squad detectives charged a 32-year-old man in relation to the seizure on May 31.

PerthNow Digital Edition.
Your local paper, whenever you want it.

Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE

Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.

READ NOW

It will be alleged the seizure included 20 reptiles from 14 different native species of reptile.

The seizure included three tiger snakes, a dugite, a malga snake, a stimsons python, a southwest carpet python, three water pythons, an eastern water dragon, a brown tree snake, two rough scaled pythons, two central carpet pythons, a coastal python, a scrub python, an olive python and a jungle python.

It will be alleged the accused was in possession of the reptiles without the appropriate licence.

It will be further alleged the accused provided false information to the DPAW in relation to a licence he had been issued.

A Baldivis man has been charged with 14 counts of person kept fauna in captivity without a licence issued under the regulations, two counts of failing to observe conditions of a licence, wilfully misleading a wildlife officer and refusing or neglected to furnish or furnished a false return.

The accused is due to appear in the Armadale Magistrates Court on August 5.

ABF investigators also made enquiries into the possession of 10 exotic reptiles seized during the search warrant. These reptiles included two boa constrictors, three corn snakes, a ball python and four Burmese pythons.

The ABF is considering a range of further charges against the man for possible offences against the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and the Customs Act 1901.