A 23-year-old Wellington Point man who unlawfully took a gecko from an area in south west Queensland and tried to send it through the mail was convicted and fined $4500 in Cleveland Magistrate's Court on July 17.
The man avoided having a conviction recorded, but in a court appearance on May 29 pleaded guilty to eight wildlife offences relating to the taking, keeping and recording movements of protected wildlife, including taking a protected reptile from a national park.
Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (EHP) officers told the court in May the man held a recreational wildlife licence to keep protected wildlife, but was not authorised to take protected wildlife from the wild.
The department alleged that on February 14, 2013 the man attempted to post a live, golden-tailed gecko in a plastic container at Wellington Point Post Office, but postal workers notified authorities when they tried to secure the container lid and saw what was inside.
The golden-tailed gecko is listed as ''near threatened'' in Queensland.
The department further alleged the same man unlawfully took another gecko from Girraween National Park, near Stanthorpe, on December 31, 2013.
EHP wildlife officers executed a search warrant at the man's home in March last year, allegedly interviewing him and seizing a number of items, including a record book he was required to keep under his recreational wildlife licence.
His licence was valid for five years from February, 2010 to February, 2015.
An EHP spokesperson said native reptiles were commercially attractive animals and "the illegal take and trade of them was a significant issue across Australia and internationally".
