A police search tied to alleged drug activity on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, led officers to a house containing a cobra, a saltwater crocodile, and many other reptiles.
What police described as a makeshift zoo is raising fresh concerns about illegal wildlife trading, animal welfare, and the risks created when wild animals are confined in domestic spaces.
What happened?
According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, a recent search of a property in Collombatti, near Kempsey, uncovered more than 50 reptiles and other animals as well as a hydroponic cannabis setup.
Detective Brad Adby of the NSW Raptor Squad said officers were met with an unusual and startling scene inside the home. "It's not every day we enter a premises, and there's a saltwater crocodile in the bedroom," Adby said.
Police said they also found more than 52 hydroponic cannabis plants, 24.25 pounds of cannabis leaf worth about $85,000, and a rifle in a kitchen, along with 38 snakes, 19 lizards, three hedgehogs, and several dogs and cats.
Police stopped and searched Brendon Michael White's white Toyota HiLux in Kempsey before charging the 39-year-old with weapons, drug, and illegal animal trading offenses. Adby said officers knew exotic animals were being kept at the property, but did not know what kinds or how many. "The scene was chaotic," he added.
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Why does it matter?
Wild animals such as crocodiles and venomous snakes are not meant to be kept in bedrooms or improvised enclosures. When animals are removed from suitable habitats or traded outside legal systems, the risks can spread quickly — to officers entering the property, nearby residents, the animals themselves, and ecosystems if nonnative species escape.
There are also biosecurity concerns. Adby said welfare agencies would determine whether some of the animals may need to be euthanized, underscoring how illegal trafficking can leave authorities with few good outcomes.
"They're currently responsible for their welfare, they'll make all the future determinations in relation to [euthanasia]," Adby said.
Animals caught up in these situations can face stress, injury, poor living conditions, and uncertain futures even after they are removed.
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What's being done?
The animals were taken into care by licensed reptile handlers, with assistance from the RSPCA and Kempsey Shire Council, while authorities assess their health, legal status, and next steps.
ABC News said that during a bail hearing, defense solicitor Greg Coombes said White should be released so he could help care for some of the seized animals, but Magistrate Lisa Viney rejected the idea that protected species would simply be returned.
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