More than 100,000 live cockroaches that are illegal to keep in Australia were confiscated from a single breeder, officials said Friday. Not surprisingly, it accounts for the country’s largest-ever seizure of exotic invertebrates, per the AP. The haul of Madagascar hissing cockroaches and dubia cockroaches, worth 200,000 Australian dollars ($142,000), was seized in May from a commercial breeder in the city of Bathurst in New South Wales state.
The Madagascar hissing species is one of the world’s biggest cockroaches, measuring 2 to 3 inches in length. Photos released by the department showed a shiny, brown invertebrate larger than a person’s finger. It’s much bigger than the country’s common Australian cockroach, which measures between 0.9 and 1.4 inches long. Cockroaches flourish in Australia because of its sub-tropical climates, with the country home to hundreds of species.
Bathurst snake catcher Stefanie Lesser told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. that the larger exotic species were likely being sold as a cost-effective reptile food because their large size meant fewer insects were needed. Officials urged pet owners to seek out crickets or wood roaches to feed their lizards instead. Both Madagascar hissing and dubia cockroaches are illegal to import into Australia. They can’t be legally kept, bred, or sold, no matter how they were obtained. Australia has strict biosecurity controls at its borders to protect its agriculture and horticulture sectors and native wildlife from pest infestations.