A Halcombe man has been fined $7000 for illegally keeping 63 geckos and skinks from 11 different species.
Richard Brosnan was sentenced in Palmerston North District Court today, facing two representative charges under the Wildlife Act.
DOC's Principal Investigations Officer Matt Davis said they became aware of Brosnan’s unauthorised keeping and trading of the animals through a series of Facebook posts.
Brosnan had previously been authorised to keep Grand and Otago skinks, but those authorisations had expired and he did not apply to renew them.
In 2022, DOC executed a search warrant at a residential address where he was living and discovered several cages where he was keeping the animals without a permit.
“That is unacceptable, and it motivated us to take action which has led to today’s court hearing – an outcome which could’ve been avoided," said Davis.
The majority of the animals DOC seized have since been re homed with authorised keepers across the country, including three protected native geckos that have been returned to the wild after years' spent in illegal captivity.
Air New Zealand supported the release of the geckos by flying them south from Palmerston North to Christchurch for the translocation.
“We were really pleased to put these precious animals back into their natural habitat. It’s a small but important win for conservation, and for the species.”
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