Latest news with #exoticanimals
News.com.au
7 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
Man jailed after exotic snakes, turtles, iguanas found in foul-smelling package marked as ‘toys' during border search
A man's attempt to import a series of exotic animals into Australia – some of which died during the ill-fated voyage – has been exposed after the plot was foiled by border force officials. Queensland man Jesse Sayeg was this week handed a nine-month jail term after pleading guilty in Caloundra Magistrates Court to three offences related to the illegal importation of live exotic animals. The case was cracked open in March 2023 when Australian Border Force (ABF) officers became suspicious of a package sent from the Philippines. A strong odour from the package prompted them to alert the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF). An X-ray of the parcel, which has been misdeclared as 'toys' and sent under a false name, revealed a consignment of reptiles and spiders. A DAFF veterinarian opened the package to discover three snakes, six iguanas, three soft shell turtles and three tarantulas stuffed into calico drawstring bags. Many of the animals were dead. The discovery launched a two-year, multi-agency investigation dubbed Operation Cascade, which uncovered a broader criminal network spanning three Australian states including Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia. Subsequent search warrants led authorities to seize a further trove of exotic species, including two hog nose snakes, 45 tarantulas, three eco-skeleton spiders, two scorpions, an African hedgehog and an alligator snapping turtle. DAFF Deputy Secretary of Biosecurity, Operations and Compliance, Justine Saunders, warned of the serious risks posed by such illegal activity. DAFF Deputy Secretary of Biosecurity, Operations and Compliance, Justine Saunders, said the illegal introduction of exotic animals into Australia poses a significant threat. 'Exotic animals can carry biosecurity risks and diseases unknown in Australia, potentially devastating agriculture, native wildlife and even human health,' Ms Saunders said. She said breaches of Australia's biosecurity laws are treated with the utmost seriousness, carrying penalties of up to 10 years' imprisonment and fines as high as $1.65 million for individuals, or $8.25 million for companies. 'DAFF has more than a thousand biosecurity officers working at our borders and in mailrooms every day who are trained to pick up anomalies in the system,' she said. Ms Saunders said wildlife trafficking was a major global crime, ranking just behind arms, drugs and human trafficking in scale. 'DAFF, along with other government agencies, are united in their commitment to eradicate the illicit wildlife trade and will take vigorous and relentless action to seek out those responsible, bring them to justice and stop this global crime.'
Free Malaysia Today
23-05-2025
- Free Malaysia Today
2 nabbed in KLIA trying to smuggle over 300 exotic animals
The animals included blue iguanas, red-eared sliders, savannah monitors, nile monitors, common spotted cuscus, black-throated monitors, and others. PETALING JAYA : The Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency has arrested two Malaysian men at KLIA Terminal 1 as they tried to smuggle hundreds of exotic animals out of the country on Wednesday. The agency said checks conducted at 6.30am uncovered more than 300 exotic wildlife that were hidden in several bags belonging to the duo. The animals included blue iguanas, red-eared sliders, savannah monitors, nile monitors, common spotted cuscus, black-throated monitors, and others. They had an estimated total value of about RM460,000 and were confiscated for further action. It said the two suspects did not have any documents or permits allowing them to transport the animals out of the country.
CTV News
20-05-2025
- CTV News
Tigers, jaguars and elephants are the latest to flee cartel violence in Mexico's Sinaloa
A lioness is carried to a transport cage at the animal refuge Ostok Sanctuary, on the outskirts of Culiacan, Mexico, Monday, May 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez) CULIACAN, Mexico — A pack of veterinarians clambered over hefty metal crates on Tuesday morning, loading them one by one onto a fleet of semi-trucks. Among the cargo: tigers, monkeys, jaguars, elephants and lions – all fleeing the latest wave of cartel violence eclipsing the northern Mexican city of Culiacan. For years, exotic pets of cartel members and circus animals have been living in a small animal refuge on the outskirts of Sinaloa's capital. However, a bloody power struggle erupted last year between rival Sinaloa cartel factions, plunging the region into unprecedented violence and leaving the leaders of the Ostok Sanctuary reeling from armed attacks, constant death threats and a cutoff from essential supplies needed to keep their 700 animals alive. The aid organization is now leaving Culiacan and transporting the animals hours across the state in hopes that they'll escape the brunt of the violence. But fighting has grown so widespread in the region that many fear it will inevitably catch up. 'We've never seen violence this extreme,' said Ernesto Zazueta, president of the Ostok Sanctuary. 'We're worried for the animals that come here to have a better future.' Cartel factions battle Violence in the city exploded eight months ago when two rival Sinaloa Cartel factions began warring for territory after the dramatic kidnapping of the leader of one of the groups by a son of notorious capo Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán who then delivered him to U.S. authorities via a private plane. Since then, intense fighting between the heavily armed factions has become the new normal for civilians in Culiacan, a city which for years avoided the worst of Mexico's violence in large part because the Sinaloa Cartel maintained such complete control. 'With the escalating war between the two factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, they have begun to extort, kidnap and rob cars because they need funds to finance their war,' said security analyst David Saucedo. 'And the civilians in Culiacan are the ones that suffer.' Zazueta, the sanctuary director, said their flight from the city is another sign of just how far the warfare has seeped into daily life. This week, refuge staff loaded up roaring animals onto a convoy as some trainers attempted to sooth the animals. One murmured in a soft voice as he fed a bag of carrots to an elephant in a shipping container, 'I'm going to be right here, no one will do anything to you.' Veterinarians and animals, accompanied by the Mexican National Guard, began traveling along the freeway to seaside Mazatlan, where they planned to release the animals into another wildlife reserve. The relocation came after months of planning and training the animals, a move made by the organization in an act of desperation. They said the sanctuary was caught in the crossfire of the warfare because of its proximity to the town of Jesús María, a stronghold of Los Chapitos, one of the warring factions. 'No safe place left these days' During intense periods of violence, staff at the sanctuary can hear gunshots echoing nearby, the roar of cars and helicopters overhead, something they say scares the animals. Cartel fighting regularly blocks staff off from reaching the sanctuary, and some animals have gone days without eating. Many have started to lose fur and at least two animals have died due to the situation, Zazueta said. Complicating matters is the fact that an increasing number of the animals they rescue are former narco pets left abandoned in rural swathes of the state. In one case, a Bengal tiger was discovered chained in a plaza, caught in the center of shootouts. Urban legends circulate in Sinaloa that capos feed their enemies to pet lions. Diego García, a refuge staff member, is among those who travel out to rescue those animals. He said he regularly receives anonymous threats, with callers claiming to know his address and how to find him. He worries he'll be targeted for taking away the former pets of capos. Zazueta said the refuge also receives calls threatening to burn the sanctuary to the ground and kill the animals if payment isn't made. 'There's no safe place left in this city these days,' said García. That's the feeling for many in the city of 1 million. When the sun rises, parents check for news of shootouts as if it were the weather, to determine if it's safe to send their kids to school. Burned houses sit riddled with bullets and occasionally bodies appear hanging from bridges outside the city. By night, Culiacan turns into a ghost town, leaving bars and clubs shuttered and many without work. 'My son, my son, I'm here. I'm not going to leave you alone,' screamed one mother, sobbing on the side of the road and cursing officials as they inspected her son's dead body, splayed out and surrounded by bullet casings late Monday night. 'Why do the police do nothing?' she cried out. Displaced animals head for new refuge In February, while driving a refuge vehicle used for animal transport, García said he was forced from the car by an armed, masked man in an SUV. At gunpoint, they stole the truck, animal medicine and tools used by the group for rescues and left him trembling on the side of the road. The breaking point for the Ostok Sanctuary came in March, when one of the two elephants in their care, Bireki, injured her foot. Veterinarians scrambled to find a specialist to treat her in Mexico, the United States and beyond. No one would brave the trip to Culiacan. 'We asked ourselves, 'what are we doing here?'' Zazueta said. 'We can't risk this happening again. If we don't leave, who will treat them?' The concern by many is that Mexico's crackdown on the cartels will be met with even more violent power moves by criminal organizations, as has happened in the past, said Saucedo, the security analyst. Zazueta blames local government and security forces for not doing more, and said their pleas for help in the past eight months have gone unanswered. Sinaloa's governor's office did not immediately respond to a request comment. The sanctuary made the move without any public announcement, worried that they might face repercussions from local officials or the same cartels forcing them to flee, but they hope the animals will find some relief in Mazatlan after years of conflict. García, the sanctuary staff member, is not so sure. While he hopes for the best, he said he's also watched cartel violence spread like a cancer across the Latin American country. Mazatlan, too, is also facing bursts of violence, though nothing compared to the Sinaloan capital. 'It's at least more stable,' he said. 'Because here, today, it's just suffocating.' Associated Press videojournalist Fernanda Pesce contributed to this report from Culiacan, Mexico. Megan Janetsky And Félix Márquez, The Associated Press
