‘Committed conservationists’ plead guilty to poaching 77 reptiles

Two Queensland snakecatchers have been busted attempting to smuggle more than 70 Territory reptiles over the border. WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

TWO “committed conservationists” caught poaching more than 70 reptiles from the Territory bush and trying to smuggle them back to Queensland are facing potentially eye-watering fines.

Lucas Cheyne, 40, and Nathan Chetcuti, 24, each pleaded guilty in the Darwin Local Court on Friday to taking protected wildlife after the ill-fated expedition in July last year.

Their lawyer, Peter Maley, told the court his clients were not profit seeking animal exploiters but “men with a genuine love of reptiles”.

“They weren’t shoved in a suitcase on the way to Bali to be sold to tourists, quite the contrary,” he said.

“It was upsetting to explain to them that some of the animals which were seized by Parks and Wildlife were in fact euthanised.

Luke Cheyne.

“That’s not because they were treated badly, it was because they’d come into contact with domesticated reptiles and there’s a possibility of disease so there are some protections in place.”

The men each face a maximum fine of more than $78,000 and possible jail time, and in adjourning the hearing “to consider the appropriate penalties”, judge Thomasin Opie said a total of 32 of the reptiles had had to be put down, while one had been eaten alive by another.

“For people who say they’re animal conservationists, this is a very, very sorry tale,” she said.

“We have a report from somebody who describes some of the animals as being very shy and elusive and you’d have to be quite well trained to catch them.

“These people are using their high levels of expertise in order to poach animals from the Territory and take them to Queensland.”

Ms Opie said there were now “77 fewer animals in the wild as a result of the behaviour of these apparent enthusiasts”.

Nathan Chetcuti with one of his beloved reptiles.

“For educated people, they appear to be very, very naive about the importance of our wildlife legislation,” she said.

“How can people who claim to be knowledgeable wildlife conservationists have so little understanding of the importance of not poaching?”

The case returns to court on May 23.

Alleged snake smugglers to face court in Darwin on Friday

TWO men who allegedly tried to smuggle 77 protected reptiles — including three venomous snakes — out of the NT last year will face the Darwin Local Court on Friday.

The two men, aged 39 and 23, are facing multiple charges of taking or interfering with wildlife after they were pulled over by remote police officers at Avon Downs in July.

The police searched the pair’s vehicle and seized the reptiles that they were allegedly in the midst of transporting into Queensland “without authority, paperwork or proof of possession”.

Up to 26 different species of reptiles were seized in the bust with the two men now facing maximum penalties of five years in prison or a fine of up to $78,500.

An Environment Department spokesman urged anyone who suspected someone was illegally interfering with protected wildlife to call police on 131 444 or Parks and Wildlife on 0401 115 731.