A Queensland woman has been fined $20,000 after wildlife authorities found her illegally keeping and selling dozens of reptiles and lizards from her home.
Allee Williams, from Yandina, came under investigation in January following a public tip-off.
Compliance officers from the Department of Environment raided her property in March, where they found 18 eggs and 26 reptiles, including pythons, turtles, bearded dragons, and blue-tongued lizards.
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According to an independent veterinarian, some of the animals showed severe health issues, including necrosis, dehydration, and neurological defects.
Several reptiles were in such poor condition that they had to be euthanised, while the remaining animals were handed over to the RSPCA.
Senior wildlife officer Jonathan McDonald said the surviving animals could not be released into the wild, stating,
“The surviving reptiles can never be released to the wild as they may have been exposed to disease while they were in captivity.”
The 36-year-old appeared in Nambour Magistrates Court last week, where she pleaded guilty to four charges under the Nature Conservation Act 1992, admitting to buying animals from the black market.
She also pleaded guilty to keeping them without a licence and operating a reptile business without proper documentation.
Williams was fined $20,000 and ordered to pay $1,635 in court costs but avoided having a conviction recorded.
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