Australian authorities seized more than 100,000 live exotic cockroachessome giants, in an operation carried out in the state of New South Wales (east), in the largest case of seizure of illegal invertebrates recorded to date in the oceanic country, the authorities reported this Friday.
The discovery took place at a commercial breeding facility located in the city of Bathurst, west of Sydney, where officials from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water (DCCEEW) located specimens of dubia cockroaches and Madagascar hissing cockroaches (of between 5 and 7.5 centimeters in length), species whose import is prohibited in Australia.
According to the authorities, the seized insects would have an estimated value of up to 200,000 Australian dollars (about 130,000 US dollars).
The DCCEEW recalled that these species do not appear on the official list of organizations authorized for their import and, therefore, they cannot be kept, raised or marketed within the country, regardless of how they were obtained.
A strict country
Australia maintains some of the strictest biosafety standards in the world due to the vulnerability of its ecosystems and the uniqueness of its native fauna.
Authorities warned that exotic cockroaches have not been subjected to environmental risk assessments and could promote spread of diseases or generate negative impacts on biodiversity and agriculture.
«We take the protection of Australia’s unique biodiversity and breaches of national environmental legislation very seriously,» a department spokesperson said in a statement.
The agency also indicated that it has detected an increase in illegal breeding and trade of these species, especially among businesses linked to the pet market and owners of reptiles who They use them as food for their animals.
The confiscated specimens are being sacrificed and eliminated under supervision of New South Wales Biosecurity Services.
EFE Agency.
GML
