Customs will crack down on reptile smugglers - Oz Press Item

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: AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION 23 March 00 Customs will crack down on reptile smugglers : It's believed South Australia's Eyre Peninsula is becoming a prime target for international reptile smugglers. : The Australian Customs service plans to fight back, as part of a campaign to protect Australia's lizards and snakes. : Customs officials say recent cases of illegal reptile smuggling in South Australia and Victoria point to Eyre Peninsula as the source of the creatures, with some coming from South Australia's north. : It's part of a growing trade to be tackled by a national campaign to be launched today in Port Lincoln. : Customs regional director for South Australia, Richard Janeczko, says the service will be calling for community help in detecting illegal activity. : He says Eyre Peninsula's exotic fauna is particularly attractive to smugglers, prepared to risk big penalties to cash in on the lucrative international market. : "Eyre Peninsula has proved to be an area where there's some unique wildlife." : "Also people come to the area because they feel there's wide open spaces and their work can go undetected." :

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