Australian reptiles are a lucrative trade on the black market for exotic animals, and authorities warn international students are increasingly being targeted to smuggle them out of the country.
asserted
students → warn → country
Dani Yannopoulos from the National EPA said serious organised criminal networks are using global networks to move drugs, firearms and exotic animals.
asserted
networks → say → drugs
"There's a demand for our unique wildlife," Ms Yannopoulos said.
asserted
Yannopoulos → be → wildlife
She said the agency has seen a trend of international students being targeted to move the animals.
asserted
students → say → animals
It follows a record number of specimens intercepted by authorities last year, including the second-highest number of reptiles seized in the past six years.
asserted
It → follow → years
Ms Yannopoulos says young people were being targeted on social media and offered money to move wildlife, often without knowing the full extent of the operation.
asserted
people → say → operation
"Sometimes they might know what's in the package, sometimes they don't; it might just be transporting from one state to another to get to an exit point."
uncertain
it → know → point
An international student was sentenced to 18 months in prison last year for attempting to send native Australian reptiles to China.
asserted
student → sentence → China
She had attempted to export 15 lizards from Queensland to China, with an estimated "street value" of $74, 207.
asserted
She → attempt → 207
Under Australian law, it's illegal to export live native Australian mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians for commercial purposes, and disrupting the illegal trade is part of the remit of the newly established National EPA.
asserted
disrupting → export → EPA
Young people charged with attempted wildlife smuggling
Several young people have been allegedly involved in wildlife smuggling attempts recently.
uncertain
people → charge → attempts
In September, a 21-year-old man was charged with allegedly attempting to smuggle 163 native reptiles from Sydney to Hong Kong as air cargo.
uncertain
man → charge → cargo
In a separate case in July, a man in his 20s was fined more than $30,000 for attempting to post 65 reptiles from Western Australia to New South Wales.
asserted
man → fin → Wales
The parcels were intercepted, with four lizards found dead, while another 51 had to be euthanised.
And last year, a 27-year-old man was sentenced to almost three years in prison for attempting to mail 27 reptiles to Hong Kong, including nine blue-tongue lizards.
Ms Yannopoulos said criminal networks recruited people at the lower levels of their operations to distance themselves.
"So anyone that they can use, any vulnerable person in particular, that they pay a little bit of money because they're going to be the first points of contact.
asserted
they → intercept → contact
"
Where are they going?
asserted
they → go → ?
Sebastian Chekunov, a researcher with Adelaide University's Wildlife Crime Research Hub, said individual Australian reptiles could fetch "anywhere from a few hundred [dollars] to over $10,000".
uncertain
reptiles → say → 10,000
"When they're being smuggled out, they're mostly going to Hong Kong as a first step," Dr Chekunov said.
asserted
Chekunov → smuggle → step
He said once native species made it overseas, they could often reach exotic pet markets in China, Europe, the US and Canada.
uncertain
they → say → China
"Overseas, the consumers in the end markets, oftentimes they don't know that these animals have been smuggled out.
asserted
animals → know → markets
"You can just go into a pet shop and buy one.
asserted
You → go → one
"But then for the rarer species, we see people who own them are more like collectors.
asserted
who → see → collectors
"They want to get one of everything.
asserted
They → want → everything
They'll spend whatever money they can to get it."
asserted
they → spend → it
Dr Chekunov said the transport could be harmful to the animals' wellbeing.
"
uncertain
transport → say → wellbeing
They're often wrapped up tightly inside packages, not able to move, not given food and water for however long they're wrapped up."
What do the numbers say?
asserted
numbers → wrap → What
Figures provided to triple j hack by the National EPA show 1,048 wildlife specimens were intercepted in 2025, including 343 reptiles.
asserted
specimens → provide → reptiles
The animals intercepted included snakes, lizards, dragons, skinks, monitors and turtles.
asserted
animals → intercept → snakes
Shingleback and blue-tongue lizards were in the highest numbers, accounting for 208 combined.
Authorities also intercepted 37 pythons and 15 lace monitors.
asserted
Authorities → account → pythons
The number of specimens fluctuates significantly from year to year, with 211 intercepted in 2024 and 595 in 2023.
asserted
number → fluctuate → 2023
An increase in seizures containing invertebrates, such as ants or beetles, can significantly impact the count.
asserted
increase → contain → count
Reptile hobbyists respond
Australia also has a large community of legal reptile breeders and hobbyists, who say the illegal trade risks damaging the reputation of the industry.
Jayden, a reptile hobbyist who did not want his surname published, said most people in the reptile community strongly opposed smuggling.
"It's pretty frowned upon by the majority of the industry and hobbyists for reptiles.
asserted
It → respond → reptiles
They're adamantly against smuggling," he said.
asserted
he → say → smuggling
Jayden, who keeps two snakes, said illegal operators tended to work in secretive networks, making them difficult for the wider reptile community to identify.
asserted
community → keep → networks
"Those small circles of smugglers and such, they really keep to themselves and they essentially operate in the shadows," he said.
asserted
he → keep → shadows
Authorities say licensed reptile breeders and hobbyists can play an important role in identifying suspicious activity and helping disrupt the illegal trade.
asserted
breeders → say → trade
The Aporia