Australian officials seize 100,000+ illegal cockroaches

Australian authorities have seized more than 100,000 live exotic cockroaches from a commercial breeding operation in the city of Bathurst, west of Sydney. Officials described the raid as the largest-ever seizure of illegal exotic invertebrates in the country.

The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) executed the operation in May, confiscating an estimated 200,000 Australian dollars worth of dubia cockroaches and Madagascar hissing cockroaches. Both species are illegal to import, keep, breed, or sell in Australia under national environment law.

A department spokesperson said the agency takes its role in protecting Australia's unique biodiversity seriously and is putting pet businesses and owners on notice. Officials warned that anyone found possessing, breeding, or trading such exotic cockroaches will have them seized and could face federal penalties.

Authorities stated that exotic cockroaches have not undergone an environmental risk assessment and their presence could spread disease and harm native wildlife and agriculture. The Madagascar hissing cockroach, one of the world's largest species, can grow between two to three inches long,...