Death adder, lizard poses for tourist pics costs wildlife enthusiast thousands
An Instagramer who worked with controversial internet celebrity ‘The Real Tarzann’ has fronted court on wildlife charges after handling lizards and deadly snakes for tourists to snap at Cape York.
A social media influencer who worked with ‘The Real Tarzann’ has been fined $4000 in a Cairns court for taking native snakes and lizards to pose for tourist photos around the Daintree and Cape York.
Ricky Mackenzie, who goes by the name Ricky Mack on social media, has more than 188,000 Instagram followers and 21,800 YouTube subscribers.
He made a YouTube series with controversial American influencer Mike Holston, ‘The Real Tarzann’, who drew criticism this year for wrestling crocs in Cape York.
Mackenzie pleaded guilty in Cairns Magistrates Court to six counts of taking or keeping native Australian wildlife between October 21 and October 25 last year, with the court told he had two sets of similar prior convictions.
He kept 15 protected lizards in his home when he was 18 years old and was fined $8000 that time, the court was told.
The court was told that in the October 2024, he handled a death adder, keelback freshwater snake, frill-necked lizard and two scrub pythons, posing in photos for international tourists on a trip to Mitchell River, Bloomfield and Cape Tribulation.
He also had a dead blue tailed monitor in an Esky on ice, with the court told he was planning to take the rare, protected reptile to James Cook University because he thought someone might want to study it.
Defence lawyer Bebe Mellick said there was no suggestion his client killed the lizard and Mackenzie was “just trying to do the right thing.”
He said Mackenzie “had a passion for animals” and had been working as an ecologist for mines, and with tour groups, though he had no formal qualifications.
He said Sydney-based Mackenzie had been in Cape York and the Daintree on the week-long tour last year at the invitation of the tour operator.
“There was no commercial gain for my client other than being able to go on the trip. My client loves being outdoors. (The charges relate to) photographs of him handling an animal, not taking it,” Mr Mellick said.
Magistrate Jakub Lodziak told Mackenzie he had considered a suspended prison sentence because of his prior convictions.
“I’ll be honest with you Mr Mackenzie … I have been back and forth, I anticipated the police would ask for a jail sentence and was prepared to make a jail sentence part of the penalty … (but) there are a number of features that point to the appropriate penalty being a fine,” Mr Lodziak said.
He noted Mackenzie’s guilty pleas, his line of work, and “the momentary handling of these animals and releasing back into the wild.”
“You are somebody who is employed to assist corporations to properly look after the land and animals so it is mind-boggling to me that you would participate in this conduct, knowing it to be unlawful … especially considering, when photos were being taken, that it might encourage others to participate in such conduct.” Mr Lodziak said.
Mr Lodziak fined him a total of $4000 on all charges.
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Originally published as Death adder, lizard poses for tourist pics costs wildlife enthusiast thousands
