Tourist Receives 15-Week Sentence In NZ
German tourist jailed in New Zealand for smuggling lizards
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — A German tourist was sentenced to jail time Wednesday after he admitted trying to smuggle native New Zealand lizards out of the country — the second such case in five weeks.
Manfred Walter Bachmann, 55, was also ordered to be deported at the end of his 15-week sentence.
Bachmann, an engineer who is originally from Uganda, was caught with 13 adult lizards and three young reptiles in the southern city of Christchurch on Feb. 16 by Conservation Department inspectors.
The District Court in Christchurch was told nine of the 11 females were pregnant and expected to give birth to one or two young in the next few weeks. The reptiles had a value of 192,000 New Zealand dollars ($134,000) on the European market.
Prosecutor Mike Bodie said Bachmann had acted with two other tourists to try to smuggle the protected lizards out of New Zealand.
The court heard that Gustavo Eduardo Toledo-Albarran, 28, a chef from Carranza, Mexico, gathered the 16 lizards from South Island's Otago Peninsula.
He then drove back to Christchurch with Thomas Benjamin Price, 31, of Gallen, Switzerland, described by prosecutor Bodie as the prime mover in the venture. Price was listed on court documents as both a stockbroker and unemployed.
In Christchurch, Price met Bachmann and gave him sealed plastic tubes containing the reptiles. The three men were arrested soon after.
Price admitted possessing the lizards and Toledo-Albarran admitted illegally hunting them. They were ordered into police custody Wednesday until March 29 and warned they faced prison terms.
Bachmann's lawyer, Glenn Henderson, described his client as "a courier — a bit of a dupe in the middle."
But Judge Jane Farish rejected the claims.
"I don't buy into what he's said about being naive or being a dupe," she said. "This was clearly premeditated offending. Given his age and his traveling, he's not that naive."
Another German national, Hans Kurt Kubus, 58, was caught at Christchurch International Airport late last year with 44 small lizards stuffed into his underwear as he tried to board a flight.
In late January, Kubus was sentenced to 14 weeks behind bars and ordered to pay a 5,000 New Zealand dollar ($3,540) fine. He will be deported to Germany at the end of his prison term.
Comments
People should adopt homeless dogs and cats. Leave the wildlife alone.
Absolutely no one should have the right to treat any kind of animal whether big or small, especially the ones that are already endangered, and take advantage of it and benefit from it – money wise. What Kubus did was no doubt to be illegal and unethical as well. Not to mention, quite embarrassing too after seeing that he have kept them inside his undies. The reptiles are also said to be females with eggs, I personally don’t like lizards, but I also don’t like the idea of hindering the lizards to breed and show the next generations that these creatures do exists!
Absolutely agree, why man feels he has the right to treat animals in such a way is a disgrace
That's good to know that the German got caught before he can smuggle those poor creatures out of their home.
The thing is that these are traders who do such things and the think of think about animals in the last turn.
Very good that they were caught. Only because of these people we are on a verge of loosing some of the rarest animal species.
A German has been jailed in New Zealand after being caught trying to smuggle over 40 assorted reptiles out of the country in his underwear.
Hans Kurt Kubus, 58, was arrested in Christchurch last month as he was about to board an overseas flight with 44 geckos and skinks hidden in a hand-sewn package concealed in pouches in his underwear.
"This is the most serious case of its kind detected in New Zealand for a decade or more," prosecutor Mike Bodie told the court, adding the geckos may have been worth 2,000 euros ($3,312 Aussie) each (yup, EACH) on the European market. Who knew a small lizard could be worth three grand?
Kubus received a 14-month sentence, and admitted to trading in endangered species but claimed he was a collector rather than a dealer. But prosecutors didn't buy it, saying that as he was carrying a number of pregnant female animals which would have provided more animals than necessary for a personal collection and it could be surmised that the surplus would be sold.
The thing is that these are traders who do such things and the think http://www.filmeonlinegratis.me of think about animals in the last turn
good they catched. so many interesting documentation. As for me I don't like lizards very much but I've seen a documentary about animal smuggling
I have watched a documentation in Germany and I found so many interesting animals and plants in New Zealand.
grat that they were catched. There ius a reason why Australia and New Zeland still have such winderful nature and that is because they care so deeply about it.
grat that they were catched. There ius a reason why Australia and New Zeland still have such winderful nature and that is because they care so deeply about it. I saw a documentary on http://www.lookrichforless.com about lizards and think they are kind of cute especially geckos which are also kind of a lizard.
Jeez, this is hardly 'making an example' He gets fined less than 10% of what he could get for the lizards and three months holiday in a low security prison! Hardly a disincentive. He and others will be back in their masses. He should have been fined at LEAST the street value...
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I think it is indeed awesome that the men were caught. As for me the same I don't like lizards very much. I've also seen a documentary about animal smuggling (found it at rapidshare SE but than the egine http://rapidsharewire.com )
As for me I don't like lizards very much but I've seen a documentary about animal smuggling (found it at torrent SE http://www.btscene.com ) They are kept in a very bad conditions. The thing is that these are traders who do such things and the think of think about animals in the last turn.
It is great that the men were caught. As for me I don't like lizards very much but I've seen a documentary about animal smuggling (found it at rapidshare SE http://rapidpedia.com ) They are kept in a very bad conditions. The thing is that these are traders who do such things and the think of think about animals in the last turn.
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