DAILY TELEGRAPH (Sydney, Australia) 13 December 13 A cold-blooded raid by police nets dozens of rare snakes and lizards (Mark Morri)

A small alligator was discovered along with dozens of rare and exotic snakes and lizards when police raided a home at Dapto south of Sydney and the owner is now being questioned about where he got the animals.

The haul including prized snakes and lizards from overseas and locally which are worth tens of thousands of dollars on the black market. They were found inside a specially converted garden shed at the back of a residential home in Bingara Ave on Tuesday.

The alligator was approximately 45cm long. Chickens and crickets were also found on the property which were being bred to feed the animals.

Police assisted officers from the Department of Primary Industries in seizing the animals from the property where the man lived with an elderly relative.

"The matter is currently under investigation and the seized animals will be assessed for any biosecurity risks,'' said Nathan Cutter, Technical Specialist in Biosecurity for the Department of Primary industries.

The man is believed to be a collector and there was no evidence he was attempting to sell or trade the reptiles but he wasn't' licence.

" Under the Non-Indigenous Animals Act, it is illegal to keep a range of exotic animals without an appropriate licence,'' Mr Cutter said.

"The seized animals are currently being held by WIRES until the investigation is completed.''

Many of the foreign snakes are a threat to native animals and authorities are concerned that if they escape and start breeding they will create major damage to the ecosystem.

"This operation is a major step forward in stopping the illegal possession of exotic animals.

"Some of the exotic animals seized represent some of the world's worst invaders and are a major threat to biodiversity and public safely,'' Mr Cutter said.

The man has been has been spoken to by investigators and released without charge but police and the department are still making inquiries regarding the animals. All reptiles are in good condition and not under threat.

The seized animals which are not native to Australia are: an alligator, a veiled chameleon, two Columbian red tail boa constrictors, two slider turtles and three corn snakes.

They also found native animals including two bearded dragons, one netted dragon, two ridge tailed monitors, one lace monitor, one Darwin carpet snake and eight geckos
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