An Australian man has pleaded guilty to 13 wildlife and animal welfare charges after authorities found more than 700 dead animals, including emus, possums and remains of threatened species, at his properties last year.
The 74-year-old antiques business owner, Glenn Richard Rollo, was sentenced at the Kyneton Magistrates’ Court in Victoria on Tuesday, Oct. 20, after pleading guilty to wildlife, pest animal and animal welfare charges, according to a Conservation Regulator press release obtained by PEOPLE.
The charges include illegally possessing and selling wildlife, taking wildlife from the wild without authorization and failing to meet animal welfare requirements.
Rollo pleaded guilty to all 13 charges, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
The Conservation Regulator — a government organization responsible for enforcing laws covering wildlife protection, fire prevention, public land use and biodiversity in Victoria — said it discovered hundreds of taxidermied and frozen animals at Rollo’s home and antiques business during a major investigation into the illegal wildlife trade, according to the release obtained by PEOPLE.
The organization said it secured search warrants and searched Rollo’s properties in April 2025. During the four-day raid, investigators found “an extensive collection of taxidermied animals throughout both premises and frozen animals” packed into 14 freezers, the release stated.
The Conservation Regulator said it found 78 emus, 26 echidnas and 42 brushtail possums. Investigators also discovered 15 live reptiles and species classified as prohibited pest animals in Victoria that cannot be kept without permission, including North American red-eared slider turtles and corn snakes.
Authorities also found remains belonging to threatened species, including a barking owl, diamond python and Murray River short-necked turtle.
According to the release, six native reptiles were also being kept in conditions “that did not meet required animal welfare standards.”
The court said the animals and remains had been collected and possessed without the licenses required under Victoria’s wildlife laws, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
“It is bewildering that a man of your intelligence and knowledge and love of wildlife would arrogantly flout the law so comprehensively,” the magistrate said during sentencing, according to the press release.
Rollo was fined just over $7,000. The amount would have been closer to $10,500 had he not pleaded guilty, according to the ABC. The court considered his age, previous good character, early guilty plea and “limited financial capacity,” the release noted.
“Our laws and permit systems help protect wildlife from unlawful exploitation, ensure animals are appropriately cared for and safeguard Victoria’s environment and biodiversity from potential threats,” Conservation Regulator Director of Regulatory Operations Cal Heppell said in the release.
“These requirements are not optional. Anyone who keeps, trades or possesses wildlife must comply with the law,” Heppell added.
Australian politician Georgie Purcel, a Victorian Animal Justice Party MP who lives near the antiques store, said the case had “horrified” residents and called the fine “for a crime like this is absolutely appalling,” according to the ABC.
“It doesn’t send a message to the rest of our community that disrespect towards our wildlife just absolutely won’t be tolerated,” Purcel added, per the outlet.
Victoria’s Wildlife Act establishes rules governing how citizens “protect, conserve, sustainably manage and use wildlife” in the Australian state, according to the government’s website.
Last year, the government commissioned an independent review of the law to examine ways Victoria could modernize wildlife protections to meet current needs, expectations and community values, according to the site.
The government introduced new wildlife crime offenses and higher maximum penalties following the review, according to the ABC.
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