A CASE of mistaken identity has resulted in a prickly sentence for a NSW animal fancier.
The NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) has welcomed the sentencing of a man for keeping an African pygmy hedgehog in captivity without a licence.
A 23-year-old Raymond Terrace man entered a guilty plea, claiming he had obtained the animal from a friend who found it, thinking it was an echidna.
DPI director of biosecurity compliance, Andrew Sanger, said the court had noted the seriousness of the offence and the dangers posed by unlawfully keeping animals of this kind.
"The Magistrate (found) that keeping such an animal was a serious threat to the agricultural industry and the environment as a disease carrier,” Dr Sanger said.
“Hedgehogs also have the potential to seriously damage the Australian economy due to their propensity to harbour exotic animal diseases such as foot and mouth disease.
“As a pest species they cause damage to native species including insects, snails, lizards and ground-nesting birds, particularly shore birds,” Dr Sanger said.
The man, charged with keeping an animal belonging to a higher risk category without a licence under the Non-Indigenous Animals Act 1987, was convicted in Raymond Terrace Local Court last week. A DPI investigation led to the animal’s seizure in January 2013.
“It was also stated in defence that while he knew it was an illegal import and it was illegal to keep such an animal he did not believe it was a threat," Dr Sanger said.
“Other endemic diseases carried by hedgehogs including Salmonella, Q fever and Toxoplasmosis, which can all be transmitted to humans.”
The African pygmy hedgehog is prohibited in Australia for a number of reasons, including its potential to introduce exotic animal diseases and the species’ ability to become a serious invasive pest in Australia.
The man received a $770 fine and criminal conviction as penalty for being in possession of the animal.
