A man in his 70s has been hit with a $10,000 after authorities uncovered a twisted collection of hundreds of frozen and stuffed animals in his home.
Glenn Richard Rollo, 74, kept an enormous menagerie of dead animals at his home in Kynetown, 86 miles northwest of Melbourne.
Counting well into the hundreds, Rollo’s collection included 78 emus, 26 echidnas and 42 brushtail possums – along with the remains of several threatened species.
Some of the animals in his collection were frozen, stored across 14 freezers, while others had been taxidermied.
These included barking owl, diamond python and Murray River short-necked turtles, all of which are classified as threatened.
He also hoarded more than 700 dead native birds, which were found across four days searching his property.
Following an investigation by the Conservation Regulator, Rollo was charged with a number of wildlife, pest and animal welfare charges.
These included illegally possessing and selling wildlife, taking wildlife from the wild without authorisation and failing to meet animal welfare requirements.
On top of his collection of deceased animals, Rollo was found to be in possession of 15 live reptiles in enclosures – including native snakes and turtles, corn snakes and Northern American red-eared slide turtles.
Authorities say the six native reptiles were being kept in conditions that did not meet welfare standards, while red-eared slider turtles and corn snakes are classed as prohibited pests – for which Rollo did not hold a licence.
“The scale of offending in this case highlights why Victoria has strong protections in place for wildlife and animal welfare,” Cal Heppell, director of regulatory operations at the Conservation Regulator, said.
“Our laws and permit systems help protect wildlife from unlawful exploitation, ensure animals are appropriately cared for and safeguard Victoria’s environment and biodiversity from potential threats.”
Rollo appeared at Kynetown Magistrates Court this week, where he pleaded guilty to all 13 charges brought against him.
Magistrate Patrick Southey fined him $10,000 for the offences, reduced from $15,000 due to his guilty pleas.
“It is bewildering that a man of your intelligence and knowledge and love of wildlife would arrogantly flout the law so comprehensively,” he said.