A Hong Kong couple has been arrested in Perth for attempting to smuggle wildlife out of Australia concealed in teddy bears.
In a joint operation between Customs and the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC), officers raided a home in the southern Perth suburb of St James on Wednesday night.
They seized 31 lizards in the raid - 24 bobtails, six crevice skinks and one sand swimmer skink - along with several soft toys, packaging and postage material.
Rick Dawson, a senior wildlife investigator with the DEC says bobtail lizards can fetch up to $7,500 on the Asian black market.
"While common in Western Australia, these lizards are highly sought after in Asia because they are easy to care for, attractive, and exotic," he said ... Click here to read this story in full
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