Animal parts up fur sale Alleged pussy stuffer selling dog skulls on Gumtree

A TAXIDERMIST under investigation for possessing the dismembered body parts of threatened species is hocking off dead animals on Gumtree.

Parks and Wildlife officers say they found nearly 1000 native animal parts, including a number of threatened species, and more than 300 non-native species at the Howard Springs home of Keerthi Eswaran.

The haul was the biggest seizures of wildlife in Australia.

A spokeswoman for Parks and Wildlife confirmed the investigation into Mr Eswaran was ongoing.

There were four listings from a profile linked to Mr Eswaran’s phone number on Gumtree this week, including the bleached skull of a siberian husky. According to the listing, the skull was “acquired from the pet owner”.

The other listings were the taxidermied heads of a chital and fallow deer and a wildebeest skull. They ranged in price from $130 for the dog skull to $1100 for the deer.

According to the listing for the fallow deer, Mr Eswaran is offloading the pieces due to an impending move interstate.

His bail conditions stipulate he has to regularly front up to appointments in Darwin.

Mr Eswaran is also banned from entering national parks.

In December, police issued him with a number of infringement notices relating to firearms offences.

The taxidermist returned to the NT only recently after he left in 2014 following allegations he posed as a cat lover to take in homeless felines to kill and stuff.

He adopted five cats in May 2014 from animal rehoming people within a week.

Workers thought at the time it was strange he specified what colour cats he wanted to adopt. Police launched an investigation but he left town before the investigation concluded. A spokesman said yesterday there was “insufficient evidence to prosecute”.

Mr Eswaran worked previously for Crocodylus Park looking after animals but left to focus on his taxidermy business.

He did not answer calls from the NT News.