A collection of whale ear bones, grey wolf skins, leopard skulls and a monkey paw, stored over the years in the basement of a Public Service building in Canberra, are to be removed to the Australian Museum in Sydney.
The items were discovered in the John Gorton Building and are among items seized over the years by the former Environment Department and the current Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment as part of their compliance activities.
Minister for the Environment, Sussan Ley said the objects were an upsetting reminder of the cruel and exploitative illegal trade in wildlife.
“This is an evil and highly organised crime that profits from cruelty,” Ms Ley said.
“I want to send a message to wildlife smugglers — if you are going to smuggle them, you will be caught,” she said.
“This is a serious crime that attracts up to 10 years’ imprisonment and up to $222,000 in fines.”
Ms Ley said that in order to protect more native animals from illegal trade, she had announced her intention to nominate a further 125 animals to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) list.
“These animals have been identified as being at high risk from illegal wildlife trade and are increasingly being found in the international pet market,” she said.
Chief Scientist at the Australian Museum, Kris Helgen said the high dollar value placed on illegally traded wildlife increased the levels of poaching, pushing some species to near extinction, especially internationally.
“Crime against wildlife is a multi-billion-dollar industry and illegal trafficking is a transnational crime, crossing borders worldwide,” Professor Helgen said.
“While it is better that the items are not removed from the animal in the first place, these seized items from the Australian Government will take on a new role at the Australian Museum in education and research,” he said.
