Home-based pet supply owner fined for the illegal import of regulated reptiles
News release
July 20, 2018 – Brampton, Ontario
Illegal trafficking of wildlife is not acceptable in Canada. Unlawfully exploiting threatened species for profit will not be tolerated.
On July 20, 2018 Ben Coughlin, operator of a home-based pet supply business in Ennismore, Ontario, pleaded guilty in the Ontario Court of Justice to violating the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act. Mr. Coughlin was fined $7,000 which will be directed to the Government of Canada’s Environmental Damages Fund.
On September 14, 2017, Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Enforcement Branch was notified by Canada Border Services Agency officials that there was a discrepancy in the paperwork accompanying a shipment of reptiles imported from Africa. Environment and Climate Change Canada’s enforcement officers conducted an inspection and found that the shipment contained forty-two spiny-tailed lizards known as Uromastyx geyri—a regulated species listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which requires a permit to import these species. The defendant was charged and convicted of importing this species into Canada without a valid permit.
Environment and Climate Change Canada has created a free subscription service to help Canadians stay current with what the Government of Canada is doing to protect our natural environment.
Call Crime Stoppers, at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), to anonymously report on wildlife crimes. You may be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000.
Quick facts
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The Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act is the legislation that implements the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, in Canada.
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More than 180 countries, including Canada, have signed the Convention. These countries work together to protect thousands of the world’s most threatened species.
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The Convention sets controls on the worldwide trade and movement of more than 33,000 animal and plant species that have been, or may be, threatened due to excessive exploitation and trade. The Convention uses an international permit system, as administered by national jurisdictions, to regulate trade in listed species.
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The Environmental Damages Fund is administered by Environment and Climate Change Canada. It was created in 1995 to provide a mechanism for directing funds received as a result of fines, court orders, and voluntary payments to projects that will benefit our environment.
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Environment and Climate Change Canada
819-938-3338 or 1-844-836-7799 (toll-free)
ec.media.ec@canada.ca
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