Australian authorities say they have seized more than 100,000 live exotic cockroaches from a breeder in the state of New South Wales the largest such seizure of illegal exotic invertebrates ever recorded in the country.
The Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water said on Friday that the insects, discovered at a commercial property in the town of Bathurst, included dubia cockroaches and Madagascar hissing cockroaches, and were valued at up to $200,000.
Officials say both species are banned from importation into Australia and cannot be legally kept, bred or traded within the country.
The department warned that the insects posed potential risks to native wildlife, agriculture and biosecurity, as they had not been assessed for environmental impact and could carry disease.
Australia only permits species listed on its official Live Import List to be brought into the country.
“We’re putting pet businesses and pet owners on notice,” a department spokesperson said, adding that authorities were treating breaches of national environment law with the utmost seriousness.
Those found keeping, breeding or selling the prohibited cockroach species could face federal penalties, the department said. Reptile owners who use the insects as feeder food were advised to switch to legal options such as crickets and wood roaches.
The public has been urged to report any suspected illegal wildlife trade through official government channels.
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