Police uncover illegal taxidermy haul in Sydney

A treasure trove of exotic animal remains has been found hidden inside a Sydney home.

Lion, orangutan and bear skulls, a mounted bear head, a full skin and head of an Alaskan wolf and ivory products were among more than 400 animal parts seized in a raid on the home in North Parramatta.

Federal investigators who executed a search warrant at the property in Iron Street say it was one of the largest wildlife seizures in Australian history.

A variety of exotic weapons were also seized at the property, including two walking canes with swords hidden inside them.

A 41-year-old man was charged with firearms offences and is due to appear in Parramatta Local Court on August 31.

Officers from the federal Department of Sustainability and Environment and NSW police raided the home on August 3 but the department released details of its finds only on Thursday.

The raid followed a lengthy investigation into the alleged illegal importation of animal remains.

Creatures feature at Tasmanian auction

It will be a taxidermist's delight in Tasmania this week when a lifetime collection of more than 80 stuffed animals goes under the hammer in Hobart tomorrow.

Auctioneer Quenton McDonald of Gowans said a fox was probably the most topical item at the auction because of the obvious interest in fox sightings in Tasmania in recent years.

He expected a mongoose, cobra, penguin and badger to spark interest, too.

Mr McDonald said small items were likely to fetch about $50, with an average-sized deer head selling for about $300 and a larger deer head for about $500. 

Though many would find the auction items macabre, Mr McDonald said they were generating plenty of interest.

And it was not just bohemian hunters with log cabins who would be buying at the auction.

"There is no stereotypical type of person that buys this sort of stuff. We have a broad range of people that have purchased over the years, although it is mainly private collectors," he said.

Restrictions on the sale of some animal products have changed over the years and the auctioneers have had the collection evaluated by the authorities, Mr McDonald said.

"We have to get Parks and Wildlife in to give us the permits that we need [for this type of auction]," Mr McDonald said.

"There are restrictions on what you can and can't sell so they come in and run their eyes over the collection."

Natural History Museum: Behind the scenes

Australia's ABC TV is airing 'Museum of Life' on Tuesday, November 30 - a fascinating six-part program that steps behind the scenes at one of the world's most famous institutions: the Museum of Natural History in the UK.


What happens behind the scenes at the Museum? Why is it important to preserve the
70 million specimens in the collections and how relevant is the research of museum scientists to today’s challenges, like biodiversity loss and the spread of tropical diseases? The BBC documentary Museum of Life will answer these questions and many more.

The opening episode looks at some of the millions of specimens in the Museum's collections. They come in all shapes and sizes, and from many different countries, but how important are they today? Who has access to them, and what does the future hold for this impressive data source?

Museum of Life airs at 8.30pm on ABC TV, Tuesday, November 30.

Aussies in London #2

The riches of the Natural History Museum in London are boundless, and tucked away in the collection are some amazing antipodean specimens.

These include a very pale-looking Tasmanian Devil:

A somewhat anaemic-looking quoll:

And a fair-haired bettong:

Just to give you an idea of just how faded these specimens are, here are the animals in question with their normal vibrant coats. First up, the Tasmanian Devil:

Some colour phases of the Quoll, which includes four species - the Eastern, Western, Spotted Tail and Northern Quoll:

And the Rufus Bettong:

Aussies in London #1

During a recent visit to London for the Fortean Times Unconvention 2010, some Australian CFZers found time to visit the Natural History Museum, a fine institution that has catalogued many of the world's weird and wonderful species.

In perusing the many exhibits we were pleased to meet some ex-pat animals, albeit some looking a little worse for wear after 100 years on display, due chiefly to excessive light exposure.

Among them was this rather sad looking Thylacine, sans stripes...

We have some more interesting ex-pats to share, so stay tuned...