A Peruvian bloke found guilty of smuggling an Andean saddle-backed tamarin monkey and a yellow-footed tortoise into Australia in July last year, just received a $6,000 fine. It’s also mentioned that he aspires to be a doctor and is in his second year of a medical degree. Well he can’t be blind and deaf and has a reasonable education, so must have been entirely aware that it was illegal – and why. In any case, it was my understanding that ‘ignorance is no excuse in the eyes of the law’. Did he sit the monkey and tortoise on his lap for the flight over here, or did he hide them in his pocket and socks? Live animals clearly need a good supply of oxygen to survive, so if their heads weren’t sticking out of his handbag, then they were hidden.
As an island country, Australia is in the envious position of being able to police border crossings relatively easily. Australia has to date been free of terrible diseases such as Foot and Mouth and Rabies, insects such as Screw Worm Fly, and plant disease such as Dutch Elm Disease.
But this is clearly largely due to luck, not good management. Every year seems to greet the new arrival of at least one new plant disease or verminous insect species; from fire ants to elm leaf beetles to exotic species of seaweed. These introduced species cost millions of dollars and years of effort to eradicate, and often can’t be eradicated at all – causing permanent environmental harm, which cannot be quantified.
All it would take is for one person to successfully smuggle in an animal carrying Foot and Mouth disease or rabies, and our population of susceptible animals would be decimated. And our economy.
A $6,000 fine? Is this some sort of bizarre bad joke? And who gives a rat’s toss as to whether the person responsible for risking the health of our native and domesticated animals, aspires to be a doctor! As if that gives them some sort of brownie points towards being considered a better human being than someone who does not aspire to be a doctor. Even if he is not studying to be a doctor due to prestige or a good income, someone who has deliberately smuggled in two animals is demonstrating a disregard for laws and disregard for the welfare of others. And they deliberately lied on their signed customs statement, when entering Sydney. Prime medical practitioner material? I think not.
Any non-citizens should be immediately deported upon being found guilty of smuggling in live or dead animals, or plant material, and barred from ever returning. And for Australian citizens – how about a mandatory jail term, set at a minimum of 6 months.
It is an absolute tragedy that the risk to all aspects of Australia (environment, economy, people) from illegal importations, is not taken more seriously. Our pathetic quarantine breach punishments are embarrassing.
As for the person who tipped off the authorities regarding the illegally imported Peruvian monkey and tortoise, 3 weeks after the animals arrival in Townsville – they should be rewarded – we should all thank them.
Tags: Australian quarantine and biosecurity, Conservation and the environment, Australian agriculture