WELLINGTON, New Zealand – More than 100,000 live cockroaches illegal to keep in Australia were confiscated from a single breeder in the country’s largest-ever seizure of exotic invertebrates, officials said Friday (June 5).
The haul of Madagascar hissing cockroaches and dubia cockroaches, worth A$200,000 (S$182,000), was seized in May from a commercial breeder in the city of Bathurst in New South Wales state, according to Australia’s Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water.
The Madagascar hissing species is one of the world’s biggest cockroaches, measuring 5 to 8cm in length. Photos released by the department showed a shiny, brown invertebrate larger than a person’s finger.
It’s much bigger than the country’s common Australian cockroach, which measures between 2.3 and 3.6cm long. Cockroaches flourish in Australia due to its sub-tropical climates and the country is home to hundreds of species.
Bathurst snake catcher Stefanie Lesser told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that the larger exotic species were likely being sold as as a cost-effective reptile food because their large size meant fewer insects were needed.
Officials urged pet owners to seek out crickets or wood roaches to feed their lizards instead.
Both Madagascar hissing and dubia cockroaches are illegal to import into Australia. They can’t be legally kept, bred or sold no matter how they were obtained, the department said in a statement.
Australia has strict biosecurity controls at its borders to protect its agriculture and horticulture sectors and native wildlife from pest infestations.
Those smuggling in undeclared or illegal animal, insect or plant material can be fined thousands of dollars.
Exotic cockroaches “have not been subject to an environmental risk assessment” and they could spread disease or harm native wildlife, the statement said.
Officials warned of prosecutions against those caught with the invertebrates.
A spokesperson said charges weren’t laid against the Bathurst breeder. The cockroaches seized would be euthanised, the department said.
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Australian cockroach kingpin caught with 100,000 illegal insects in record bug bust
