Black market trade in protected wildlife

[Reptile-Report]

Hello,
I'm a journalism student at Monash University and am researching a story on the domestic black market trade in protected wildlife including reptiles, and thought that this forum may be a good place to get some information about the prevalence of this trade.

It would be a great help if you had time to respond by private message to a few queries.

1. Have you received offers to buy reptiles that have been caught in the wild?
2. If so, what species have you been offered and at what price?
3. What is the average retail price of an equivalent animal?
4. In Victoria, where are wild animals typically captured?
5. In Australia, where are wild animals typically captured?

Thanks for your assistance.

 

[Demansiaphile]

Paintbrushturkey, I'm not sure if you're entirely serious.

Reptile-report.

I'm primarily a field herper, I keep very little reptiles at home. I take it that you're not familiar with that term, so basically it means I go out in the middle of no where looking for reptiles and animals in general, purely to take photos.

1) I have been made offers to buy wild caught reptiles, and there has been many OBVIOUS advertisements on this website and most other reptile classifieds of clearly illegal wild caught animals. They are very easy to pick out.

2) They are generally animals that are local or close by. So in Brisbane, most poached animals that are put online are from the SEQ area or the Brigalow Belt, which is 600km west from here, and has a high diversity of reptiles. Again the animals can be very obvious, no sex, no records (past keepers, ages), also scars, ticks and very particular locales are a big give away.
Because of the range of species their is high range of price from $50 to $10 000. Most people who do this are complete *****s doing it for a quick buck.

3) Refer to above, they don't really have a set price.

4) Victoria, I'm going to say that a lot of Tiger Snakes and Copperheads are caught illegally as they are found in high numbers near suburbia and make fantastic pets. They can be found in the outskirts of Melbourne.

5) There's reptiles every where so all of Australia, some species such as the Green Tree Python, various species of monitors live in very remote places all around Australia. And some localities are very sought after. (Pilbara animals are generally sought after for example).


Paintbrushturkey, I went herping last week and found a few different species in South Australia. Out of the 20 or species we found 3 different species that would grab 10K a pair and I'm not even a good herper. So there's plenty of money to be made.

Most people don't realize how many Australian Natives are poached and sent over seas.
Like every interest, there's a dark side. And ours includes the total raping of animals of financial gain. It disgusts me.

 

[Firepac]

This request had been approved by Mods/Admin and the OP supplied enough information to prove their credentials.

All replies via PM please.